India

Tipu Jayanti: Keep me out of the event glorifying a brutal killer, fanatic and a mass rapist, says Union Minister

Bengaluru: Union Minister of State for Skill Development Anantkumar Hegde on Saturday has asked the Karnataka government to keep him out of the state’s Tipu Jayanti celebrations.

He tweeted that he will not be a part of an event which will be glorifying a ‘brutal killer, a fanatic and as mass rapist.

“Conveyed (to) Karnataka government not to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist,” Hegde tweeted.

Hegde had also written an official letter to the state asking not to include his name for the event.

The ruling Congress began celebrating Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary since 2015, which led to violent protests by the right-wing organisations in the Mysore region and other parts of the state.

Reacting to Hegde’s statement, Siddaramaiah said that the event was being given a “political” colour.

“It is being made into a political issue. Four wars were fought against the British and Tipu fought all of them,” he said.

The invitation to the Union Minister was extended only as part of the “protocol”, the Chief Minister added.

An official from the Chief Minister’s Office told IANS: “Since Tipu Jayanti is being celebrated as a state event, the protocol demands that the Union Ministers from the state and other central government ministers be invited.”

The letters to all ministers were sent out in advance and it was their discretion whether or not to be a part of the event, the official added.

Known as the “Tiger of Mysore”, Tipu Sultan ruled the Mysore kingdom from 1782-1799 succeeding his father Hyder Ali.

Though Tipu Sultan was born in 1750 at Devanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru, his kingdom’s capital was at Srirangapatna near Mysore.

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