Says BSY, Shettar had heaped praises on Mysore ruler

Bengaluru, Nov 11 (DHNS): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday accused BJP leaders of double standards on Tipu Jayanti and said that his government would continue organising Tipu Jayanti despite protest.

He was speaking after inaugurating Tipu Jayanti organised by the Kannada and Culture department at the Vidhana Soudha, amidst tight security.

Siddaramaiah ridiculed former chief ministers B S Yeddyurappa and Jagadish Shettar, by pointing out instances wherein the two BJP leaders had heaped praises on Tipu in the past.

“The BJP is now trying to twist the history and mislead people for political gains. They are making it (jayanti) a big issue as the Assembly elections are fast nearing,” he charged.

According to the chief minister, Yeddyurappa had visited Tipu Sultan samadhi (tomb) at Srirangapatna in 2012 when he was in the KJP.

“He (Yeddyurappa) had praised Tipu as a great king and a freedom fighter. But, the same person is now describing Tipu as communal and murderer. Isn’t he (Yeddyurappa) ashamed of himself?” he asked, rebutting charges by the BJP that the ruling Congress was indulging in minority appeasement by organising Tipu Jayanti.

Similarly, he read out a prelude written by Shettar to a monograph “Tipu Sultan: A Crusader for Change” brought out by the Kannada and Culture department when he was the chief minister. Like Yeddyurappa, Shettar too had hailed Tipu as a great warrior and a freedom fighter.

“Why the BJP is now opposing my government for celebrating Tipu Jayanti? How many tongues each one of them have?...It is now left to people to judge who is politicising Tipu Jayanti,” he added.

The government is neither indulging in vote-bank politics nor does it wants to please Muslims. Tipu was a patriot who fought against the then British army.

“If Tipu was not a patriot, he wouldn’t have fought the British in four different wars (historical Mysore wars). Instead, he would have surrendered to the British army...I wish God bestows wisdom on the BJP and the RSS leaders,” Siddaramaiah said.

On charges by the BJP that Tipu murdered large number of people in Kodagu and the coastal region, Siddaramaiah said Tipu was a king and he might have punished some people for opposing him and aligning with the British army.

Siddaramaiah warned that his government will deal sternly with those who take law into their hands and, said that the government will organise Tipu Jayanti in a grand manner next year.

BJP should not oppose fete: Gowda

JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Thursday said that the BJP was setting a bad precedent by opposing the Tipu Jayanti celebrations, reports DHNS from Bengaluru.

Gowda, speaking during the Tipu Jayanti celebrations organised by his party in the city, said that he was pained at the stance taken by the saffron party. “It is not right on the part of the BJP to be making such a noise over the celebrations. JD(S) is a secular party and we do not observe the Jayanti to appease any particular community. Tipu had fought against the British and we should remember him.”

His son, H D Kumaraswamy, said both the Congress and BJP were indulging in divisive politics over Tipu Jayanti celebrations.

BSY leads protest against Tipu Jayanti; leaders held, released

Bengaluru, Nov 11 (DHNS): BJP party workers, led by former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, staged a protest in front of Town Hall on Thursday against Tipu Jayanti celebrations.

Addressing protesters, Yeddyurappa alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was dividing people on the lines of religion and caste. “The BJP is not against minorities. Siddaramaiah is bent on celebrating Tipu Jayanti only to appease minorities.”

“I had worn a turban and had held a sword at a function. It did not mean that I justified Tipu Jayanti. Tipu was against the Kannada language. He indulged in large scale religious conversions in Kodagu. He demolished many temples. He fought against the British only to save his province, not the country,” Yeddyurappa said and demanded that Siddaramaiah provide sufficient evidence to prove that Tipu was not communal.

He alleged that Siddaramaiah’s government took up the Tipu Jayanti issue at the cost of drought relief works.

“Many parts of the state are reeling under drought. Siddaramaiah does not have time to meet the prime minister and finance ministers to seek drought relief funds. But he has enough time to celebrate Tipu Jayanti. He had spent Rs 10 crore on Tipu Jayanti instead of spending the funds for drought relief works,” he alleged.

“Sixteen members of Hindu organisations have been killed after the Congress party came to power, but the government has not done anything to prevent the murders,” Yeddyurappa said. 

MP Shobha Karandlaje, former ministers R Ashoka and Suresh Kumar accompanied Yeddyurappa during the protest. They were taken into preventive custody when they were about to take out a procession to Vidhana Soudha. The police released them later. They donned black bands on their arms to express anger.

The city police had made massive security arrangements by deploying additional forces at sensitive places. Security was tightened at bus stands, railway stations and religious places to prevent any untoward incident.