Even though when they were not in power, the JD(S) had opposed the Congress Government’s move to celebrate the Jayanti of  18 century Mysore King Tipu Sultan, the JD(S)-Congress coalition Government in Karnataka has now  decided to continue to celebrate the Kings Jayanti amidst opposition by the BJP, other Hindu and Right wing  organisations.

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy who is heading a fragile coalition has announced that his Government would continue to celebrate Tipu Jayanti despite violence in the previous years and opposition from the BJP.  He said “We will continue the programmes that were started by the previous government. Because they (BJP) object doesn’t mean we should stop,” the Chief Minister said on the sidelines of a programme in Bengaluru.

Tipu Jayanti celebrations had evoked strong protests in the State last year, with clashes erupting in various districts. In 2015, two persons were killed in Madikeri when a group taking out a procession was stalled by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists.

The Tipu Jayanti Virodhi Horatta Samiti  a right wing supported organisation has condemned the move of the State Government to celebrate Tipu Jayanti. The same organisation last year also filed a PIL in the Karnataka High Court.  The opposition BJP has been opposing the Government’s move and it became a major political row between the ruling Government and the BJP.

The petitioner cited decrease in Kodava race due to Tipu’s legacy and the communal clashes as reasons to stop observing the birth anniversary of the former Mysuru king.  The Karnataka High court had asked the State to file its objection to the PIL before November 2018. However, the State failed to file its objection, forcing the court to impose a fine on the State Government on Wednesday. The court will hear the case next on November 9.

“What is the need for this celebration when CM could not go for Valmiki Jayanti celebrations… Valmiki who has written the Ramayana. Instead, he wants to celebrate Tipu who killed so many Hindus? This shows his priority,” BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said.

Senior Congress MLA and powerful Muslim neta Roshan Beg criticised the BJP and said it rakes up to polarise the people. The State Government has decided to go ahead and celebrate Tipu Jayanti on November 10, Kannada and Culture Minister R Jayamala said. “We will definitely go ahead with the Tipu Jayanti celebration on November 10, it is our duty. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has already taken a decision to this effect.” Hitting back at the BJP over the threat to stage protests, Jayamala said the saffron party would be directly held liable if there is any untoward incident during the celebration.

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress Government first started celebrating Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary in 2015, terming the 18th-century ruler of the erstwhile Mysuru a freedom fighter. The BJP has branded him ‘anti-Hindu’. While two persons were killed in Madikeri during a procession which was stalled by the pro-Hindu activists in 2015, clashes had erupted in several districts.

Tipu Sultan  was an 18th century ruler of the Mysore kingdom. He was the eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali of Mysore. Tipu Sultan introduced a number of administrative innovations during his rule, including his coinage, a new calender and a new land revenue system which initiated the growth of the Mysore Silk. Tipu developed  the iron-cased rockets and deployed the rockets against advances of British forces and their allies during the Mysore wars.