Tipu Sultan descendants mull legal action against Hegde for 'derogatory' remarks

Kolkata: The descendants of Tipu Sultan in Kolkata are considering legal action against Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde for his alleged "derogatory" comments against the 18th century Mysore ruler.

Bakhtiar Ali, one of the sixth-generation descendants of Prince Mooniruddin, who was one of Tipu's sons, told PTI that the minister's comments were "baseless and shameful".

"Such derogatory remarks are unacceptable. He is making such cheap comments for his own political gains. We are consulting lawyers and will seek legal action against him. We might file defamation suit against him," Ali said.

The BJP minister, in a tweet on October 21, had conveyed to the Karnataka government not to invite him to the "shameful" event of Tipu Sultan Jayanti on November 10.

Asked whether they would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Hedge, Ali said, "No, we have no such plans to write to the Prime Minister." In 2016, Hegde had flayed the state government for celebrating Tipu Jayanti despite opposition from some sections of the society living in coastal belts of Karnataka and Kodagu areas, claiming that the ruler was "against Kannada language and anti-Hindu".

Subsequently, Hegde was arrested for threatening to disrupt celebrations in Uttara Kannada district.