New Karnataka Government Cancels Tipu Jayanti Celebrations, Say There's Nothing To Celebrate About Him

The newly appointed government in Karnataka led by BJP strongman Yeddyurappa has said no to the official celebration of Tipu Jayanthi, the birth anniversary of 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan.

In an order, Kannada and Culture department stated that the Hazrat Tipu Sultan Jayanti, which was being celebrated since 2016, has been cancelled ¡°with immediate effect¡±.

The development comes as a response to a letter written by senior BJP leader KG Bopaiah to the Chief Minister on Monday seeking cancellation of Tipu Jayanti.

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The move is unsurprising as the BJP had been strongly opposing the Tipu Jayanthi Celebrations which began in 2016, by the then Congress government of Siddaramaiah.

The BJP had claimed that the ruler of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom was a tyrant and anti-Hindu and there was nothing to celebrate about him.

Controversial former union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde had in 2017 called Tipu "brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist". This was in response to an official invite by the then government to him to attend the Tipu Jayanthi.

Tipu Sultan, also known as the Tiger of Mysore has always been a divisive figure. While for some he is a brave hero who fought the British, for others, especially in the Kodagu region, he was a mass murderer of Hindus.

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He is also accused of execution of Mandyam Iyengars at the temple town of Melukote in Mandya district on the day of Deepavali, as they supported the then Maharaja of Mysuru.

Born on 20 November 1750, as the eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali, Tipu became the Sultan in 1780.

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During his regime, Tipu had multiple run-ins with the British East India Company in what is now known as the Anglo-Mysore wars. It is said that Tipu had the best rockets at his time and used it to give a tough time to the British. He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort at Srirangapatna against the British forces.