Codava National Council seeks protection for actor Rashmika Mandanna

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: South India Floriculture Association on Sunday urged BJP MP Tejasvi Surya to retract his recent statement referring to flower bouquets as "national waste". During Facebook and YouTube Live sessions inviting the public to his wedding reception on March 10, Surya requested people to refrain from giving flower bouquets, calling them a "national waste".

Tejasvi Surya, who represents Bengaluru South, married classical singer-Bharatanatyam dancer Sivasri Skandaprasad in a traditional ceremony on Thursday. South India Floriculture Association president T M Aravind emphasised that such remarks from a responsible leader are "inappropriate" and "undermine the hard work of lakhs of farmers who depend on floriculture for their livelihood." According to him, floriculture in Karnataka is practised across 38,000 hectares, with commercial flower crops cultivated on more than 1,500 hectares.

The state produces a variety of flowers, including roses, chrysanthemums, marigolds, jasmine, and kanakambaram, along with commercially significant cut flowers such as gerberas, anthuriums, and orchids, grown in greenhouses and polyhouses.