BS Yediyurappa scraps Tipu Jayanti celebrations: How did the Mysore ruler's anniversary polarise Karnataka politics?

Former CM Siddaramaiah observes Tipu Jayanti celebrations. (Image: Twitter)

A day after newly sworn-in Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa confidently passed the floor test, he announced on July 30 that the state will no longer celebrate Tipu Jayanti.

During a cabinet meeting held on July 29, Yediyurappa ordered the Kannada and Culture Department to not celebrate the birth anniversary of the erstwhile Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan.

The move received sharp criticism from Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who told reporters, “I only started Tipu Jayanti celebrations. According to me, he was the first freedom fighter in the country. The BJP people are not secular.”

Tipu Jayanti celebrations have been mired in controversy since 2015, when the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government commissioned the celebrations to commemorate the Mysuru ruler’s 266th birth anniversary for the first time.

The observance of Tipu Jayanti was then made an annual affair, with the JD(S)- Congress coalition led by HD Kumaraswamy continuing the trend, amid strong resistance from the BJP.

The celebrations have since triggered violent protests in Karnataka, which even resulted in the death of two people (including one VHP activist) in 2015.

Why, you ask? Let’s find out:

Who is Tipu Sultan?

Tipu was born in 1750 to Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore. At a young age, he was instructed in military tactics by French officers in the employ of his father. He rose to prominence in the late 18th Century by fighting many wars in southern India.

He fought against the Marathas on several occasions between 1775 and 1779. He succeeded his father in 1782 and assumed the title of Sultan of Mysore. In 1789, he started a war against the British by attacking their ally at Travancore. The war lasted two years.

In 1799, Tipu’s capital Seringapatam (now Shrirangapattana) was attacked by the British and he died leading his troops in the breach.

He is known to be an able general and administrator, who enjoyed the loyalty of his Hindu subjects despite being a Muslim ruler. However, he proved to be cruel to his enemies and lacked the judgment of his father.

What is the controversy?

In the last three-four years, Tipu Sultan has become a polarizing figure in Karnataka – with the Congress referring to him as a freedom fighter, who died battling British rule; while the BJP call him an anti-Hindu tyrant.

According to the BJP, Tipu Sultan was responsible for the killing of Hindus and Christians; and the saffron party also believe that he was anti-Hindu and anti-Kannada.

In 2017, the BJP had rejected Congress’ invite to the celebrations of Tipu Jayanti. Former Union minister and Lok Sabha MP Anantkumar Hegde had sharply criticised the event, writing to Chief Secretary of Karnataka, to not include his name in the “shameful” event.

At that time, BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan had said, "Tipu as a ruler, he has killed thousands of people and done forcible conversion... It is a party stand. The government is trying to instigate and bring communal tension."

Responding to Hegde, the then Home Minister in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet, Ramalinga Reddy, had said, “Any MLA or MP will be invited to an event happening in his or her constituency. It is protocol, and has been done earlier and will be continued in future too… To attend Tipu Jayanti or not is up to Hegde."

In that year, at least 11,000 police officials were deployed in Bengaluru to prevent protests from turning violent; sale of liquor was also banned.

Last year, Union minister Prakash Javadekar had said, “To hold a state government event on Tipu Sultan Jayanti, who is a symbol of hatred, is surprising. We want to ask Congress how the one who destroyed churches and temples and killed thousands of Christians and Hindus, is praised in a state government event.”

Tyrant or freedom fighter?

In 2017, while addressing a joint session of Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on the 60th anniversary of the Vidhan Soudha, President Ram Nath Kovind hailed Tipu's sacrifice.

He said, "Tipu Sultan died a historic death fighting the British. He also pioneered the use of Mysore rockets in warfare." While Congress members thumped the desks in appreciation, the BJP was left red-faced.

Ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections in Karnataka, the BJP had even accused the Congress of “blatantly indulging in vote bank politics to stoke communal tension”.

Even though the disagreement over Tipu Sultan is old, it is brought alive every few years by political parties to use as ammunition in political battles and furthering their own agenda.