Calling Tipu Sultan a “religious bigot” who persecuted Hindus and converted many to Islam, BJP’s Karnataka president Prahlad Joshi, announced on Monday that the BJP will not participate in any events organized by the Congress government to mark Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary.
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Speaking to reporters here, he said, “Tipu is a patriot, he fought against the British, in a sense freedom struggle began from three Mysore wars, he lost his life during the battle, and he had even pledged his son to British”. “Tipu was one person who promoted communal harmony those days and that is why we are trying to celebrate it”. He didn’t do any such thing, instead he contributed to Sringeri Mutt, Nanjanagudu and Ranganatha Swami Temples.
“Majority of the people are opposed to it – Tipu was the ruler of Mysore – it’s okay, but at the same time he was the most intolerant king”.
The RSS leader also condemned the euphoria surrounding Tipu Jayanti celebrations in the state and said Tipu Sultan was a tyrant who openly carried the message on his sword about killing “kafirs” (non-believers) which is well documented in history. He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort of Srirangapatna against the British forces.
He further added, “Tipu Sultan birth anniversary should have been celebrated by the state long ago but has got delayed”. The 66 year old Kshetreeya Sanghachalak for the RSS said the word communal intolerance was being preached by a section of the intelligentsia which is not ready to accept any other point of view and is blaming the “nationalists” for every incident.
Nagaraj claimed people in Karnataka are opposed to the celebrations as many historians have recorded the treatment meted out to people during his tyrannical rule.
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Sangh Parivar outfits have threatened to disrupt the celebrations on November 10, with RSS describing Tipu as “the most intolerant ruler”. “The intolerance exists in a particular section of writers, not in the country as it has been portrayed by them”, said V Nagaraj, the RSS Kshetreeya Sangachalk for Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
