Bengaluru, Jan 15 (DHNS) : The State BJP on Wednesday opposed the government’s move to celebrate the 18th century ruler Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary as Tipu Jayanti.

Addressing a press conference, BJP State president Pralhad Joshi said Tipu Sultan was communal and had forcibly converted people to Islam.

“The government should not celebrate birthdays of controversial persons. If it is interested in projecting its religious tolerance, it should celebrate anniversaries of people like Shishunala Sharif,” Joshi said.

Sharif was a saint-poet and philosopher of the 19th century.

Joshi said Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil and Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao had blamed the Centre for slashing funds for the State only to cover up the lapses in running the administrative machinery.

Patil had blamed the NDA government for slashing the State’s allocation under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act by Rs 1,200 crore.

Rao had recently said the Centre had cut Karnataka’s quota of kerosene by 3,000 kilo litres from 43,000 kilo litres per month.

Joshi said there had been no deliberate cut of quota to the State, but the Centre was following the “expenditure fund release system” based on utilisation by a state, a policy implemented by the previous UPA government.