Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader and State Planning Board Deputy Chairman C.M. Ibrahim on Wednesday said that Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations by the state government will not help the Congress get Muslim votes, while the BJP too will not get anti-minority votes by opposing the celebrations.
A day after violence broke out in Kodagu district over Tipu celebrations, he said that the Kannada and Culture Department should have been asked to conduct the celebrations, instead of the Minority Affairs Department, as this gave an impression that the government is 'pro-minority'. Instead of holding a function, the department should have held a symposium on contributions made by Tipu Sultan to Hindu temples by inviting seers of various maths, like Sringeri, Suttur and authorities of Srikanteshwara Temple in Nanjangud Temple.
Asking the Minorities Department to conduct the celebrations was a big mistake. The authorities should have thought about the consequences, as the chief minister is busy with many other things, he said.
He, however, said that holding the birth anniversary function of Tipu was not a mistake as the event could have been used to explain the greatness of the 'Tiger of Mysuru', who took on the mighty British Empire singlehandedly. “It is wrong to think that the Congress will attract minority votes if it celebrates Tipu Jayanti.
Even the BJP will not benefit by holding protests against the celebrations. Of late, there is a lot of awareness among the minority community and they will not be carried away by such celebrations. The BJP is trying to turn this into a big issue as they have lost heavily in the Bihar Assembly elections and are now scouting for new issues to remain in news," he commented.
He said that inscriptions found at Sringeri Sharadambha Temple describe how Tipu protected the temple from the onslaught of Maratha rulers. The ruler also donated generously to a number of Hindu temples across the state. “Also, Tipu never ascended the throne of Mysuru rulers. Of 16 ministers in the Tipu administration, 11 were Hindus and the minister in chief was Dewan Poornaiah.
I would have been the first person to oppose if Tipu was communal and I would have never allowed the government to celebrate Tipu's birth anniversary. I personally feel there is nothing wrong in celebrating the birth anniversary of great personalities like Tipu Sultan. Still there are number of Hindu families that praise Tipu for helping the Hindu temples in many parts of the state”.
