Ajit Karn
Bengaluru: Karnataka has elections coming up in a few months, and the BJP has turned the 18th-century ruler Tipu Sultan into an election issue. This has caused a new debate. In a fight of perceptions, the party is pitting its hero, VD Savarkar, against Tipu Sultan. Recently, the party tried to win over the politically strong Vokkaliga community by sticking to the story that Tipu Sultan was killed not by the British and Maratha army, but by two Vokkaliga leaders. Even though a well-known faith leader is against the plans, the BJP won’t back down.
Some people in the old Mysuru belt said that the two Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda killed Tipu Sultan. This story was turned into a play based on the book Real Dreams of Tipu by Addanda Cariappa.
Historians have argued against it, but some BJP figures, like Vokkaliga leader CT Ravi, the party’s national General Secretary, and ministers Ashwath Narayan and Gopalaiah, supported the claim.
Some BJP figures, like Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje and Ashwath Narayan, also say that there is proof about Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda from the past.
So far, people from the Vokkaliga group have voted for the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal Secular. Leaders from both groups say that Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda did not exist and may have been made up.
This week, the state’s Horticulture Minister Munirathna, who used to be a movie director but is now a politician, said that a movie would be made about the subject. He said that his company was putting “Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda” down as the name of the movie.
Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswamiji, the top leader of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math, stepped in on Monday. He is highly respected by the Vokkaligas, who are the majority in the area.
Before a decision is made on this issue, the pontiff has ordered that information, edicts, and history records about the people who are said to have killed Tipu Sultan be gathered and given to the mutt.
He also talked to Mr. Munirathna and told him that the project shouldn’t go forward.
“It is not right to make a movie about two people who represent a community at a time when the history is not clear,” the Swami was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.
“I’ve also told him (Munirathna) why it’s wrong. After he realised what was going on, he said he didn’t want to hurt anyone and promised he wouldn’t try to do so, not just now but ever again,” he had said.
The minister said that he couldn’t say no to the request.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is fighting on many fronts, including corruption charges, and he doesn’t seem to be involved in the scandal. Mr. Bommai has said, “Research will show the truth.”
When asked about Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda recently, State Health Minister Dr. Sudhakar said, “I only know the former PM HD Devegowda,” with a big grin on his face.
A few BJP figures have been making provocative comments about Tipu Sultan before the election. These comments are aimed at the Congress, which the BJP says has been supporting the master of Mysore.
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Last month, Nalin Kateel, the head of the Karnataka BJP, who is known for making controversial statements, asked people to “kill” all “devout followers” of Tipu Sultan. He has said that the people who are related to Tipu Sultan should be chased away and sent to woods.
The state’s right-wing thinks of Tipu Sultan as a racist dictator who forced a lot of people to change their religion. But the former government of Siddaramaiah celebrated his birthday for two years in a row because it thought he was one of the first people to fight for freedom.
In April and May, assembly elections will be held on 224 of Karnataka’s seats. The BJP hopes to win a second straight term in power.
