Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Oct 20: BJP, which has been expressing its strong opposition to the celebration of Tipu Jayanthi by the state government since the plan was conceived, is now set to make an effort to reap political benefit out of this controversy during the coming assembly election.

Opposition to Tipu Jayanthi has been voiced by people from different parts of the state on various occasions. BJP wants to tap the potential of pooling this opinion and trying to score a point over Congress party. BJP's strategy is to project Tipu Jayanthi as a measure of vote bank politics indulged in by the Congress.

A meeting of BJP and Sangh Parivar units has been called here on October 23 on this issue. The party has decided to invite leaders of various organizations opposed to Tipu Jayanthi celebrations, for this meet. Sources believe that the plan of action to be launched against the Congress government may be finalized at this meeting to launch another attack against the Congress government ruling Karnataka.

The current government rose to power in the state in 2013, and it decided to celebrate Tipu Jayanthi on November 10 every year beginning from 2014. This move of the government met with lot of resistance. After the issue aggravated into a major confrontation in 2015, there was violence in Madikeri in which a person named Kuttappa lost his life. Even though the move was bitterly opposed the next year too, the government, which was determined to cush the opposition, had persisted with its decision to celebrate Tipu jayanthi.

The government is again setting into motion processes leading to celebration of Tipu Jayanthi on November 10 this year. Kodagu zilla panchayat has opted for direct confrontation with the government by passing a resolution against celebrating Tipu Jayanthi. The government has warned the zilla panchayat that not celebrating this event will attract penal action.

BJP now wants to adopt the above warning as the central point of contention and organize different kinds of protests along with like-minded organizations. It plans to hold symposiums in places where there is opposition to this event, to explain about the attacks various communities underwent during the rule of Tipu Sulthan, votebank politics behind the decision of the government to celebrate Tipu Sulthan's birthday etc. Through this exercise, BJP feels, it can attract votes from non-Muslim communities towards itself.

Currently, Tipu Jayanthi is facing strong opposition from areas like Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chitradurga and Kodagu, which were part of the provinces ruled by Tipu Sulthan. Many are opposed to the fact that Kannada and culture department is organizing the event. BJP wants to give a concrete shape to the modus operandi it wants to adopt to rake up Tipu Jayanthi controversy and convert support of those opposing the celebrations into a vote bank for itself.