Bengaluru: President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday hailed Tipu Sultan, saying he died a heroic death fighting the British, remarks that came in the backdrop of protests by the BJP in Karnataka against the glorification of the 18th century Mysore ruler.
The remarks by the President in his address to the joint session of Karnataka legislature amid the raging debate on Tipu Sultans legacy sparked a war of words between the ruling Congress and opposition BJP.
The saffron party has opposed the Congress government’s plans for ‘Tipu Jayanti’ celebrations on his birth anniversary on November 10.
The BJP alleged that the state government has “misused” the office of the President by getting Tipu’s name mentioned in the speech while the Congress said the opposition party should be “ashamed” for levelling this charge. The celebrations have been opposed tooth and nail by the BJP which sees Tipu Sultan as a “religious bigot” and a “brutal killer”.
“Tipu Sultan died a heroic death fighting the British. He was also a pioneer in the development and use of Mysore rockets in warfare. This technology was later adopted by the Europeans,” Kovind said.
The President’s reference to Tipu came after he noted the contributions of various historical figures of Karnataka, including Krishnadevaraya who was the emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 to 1529.
