Fri Jan 24 17:46:09 UTC 2025: ## Local Group Urges Boycott of RSS-Linked Cultural Festival in Karnataka
**KALABURAGI, Karnataka –** Members of the Sauharda Karnataka Vedike have called for a boycott of the week-long Bharatiya Sanskriti Utsav, scheduled for January 29th in Sedam town, Kalaburagi district. The Vedike alleges the festival, celebrating the golden jubilee of the Kottala Basaveshwara Bharatiya Education Society, is a thinly veiled attempt by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to expand its influence in the Kalyana Karnataka region.
In a press conference, Vedike members R.K. Hudgi and Meenakshi Bali expressed concerns about the event’s scale and funding, claiming crores of rupees are being spent to invite RSS leaders from across the country. Prof. Hudgi stated that the festival is a means for the RSS to promote its ideology.
The Vedike has appealed to the public, religious leaders, and elected officials, particularly those who follow the teachings of Buddha, Basaveshwara, and B.R. Ambedkar, to refrain from participating in the utsav. The group believes the event represents an encroachment on the region’s cultural fabric.
First Piper 