Hindutva outfits oppose proposal to install Tipu Sultan’s statue in Karnataka

Several Hindutva organizations have opposed the proposal of the Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the opposition Congress, Tanveer Seth, to install a 100-feet tall statue of Tipu Sultan, the lion of Mysore.

Tanveer Seth said that the statue will be installed on the banks of the river Kaveri or Sarangapatnam, the former capital of Tipu Sultan.

Several extremist Hindu organizations associated with the Karnataka’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Sangh Parivar have strongly opposed the proposal.

It is to mention here that Tipu Sultan gave his life in Srirangapatnam while fighting with the British in the 18th century. He is considered a great patriot in Indian history. However, the Sangh Parivar alleges that he was a “tyrannical” ruler, and accuses him of killing Hindus or forcing them to convert to Islam. Most historians attribute this accusation to politics and anti-Muslim bias.

The BJP government’s education minister CN Ashwath Narayan criticized the proposal to install Tipu Sultan’s statue.

Pramod Mutalak, head of Hindutva organization Sri Ram Sena, said if a statue of Tipu Sultan is installed anywhere, it will be demolished.

Tanveer Seth said the way the Sangh Parivar is insulting and dishonoring Tipu Sultan has deeply hurt the sentiments of Muslims and it is the responsibility of people like us to tell about Tipu Sultan’s bravery and his great deeds, educate especially the new generation.

Earlier in May this year, the entire chapter on Tipu Sultan was deleted from the 10th standard Kannada textbook in the state, and the information about him was limited to only a few lines.