BENGALURU: In order to prevent controversies such as the recent one associated with Tipu Jayanti, such celebrations should be restricted to individual communities, said writer and folk scholar Krishna Murthy Hanuru, on Sunday.
Speaking at a session on Tipu Sultan and Re-fashioning of History, he said that such celebrations must be avoided by the State government. Allowing communities to celebrate them would reduce the animosity, he said.
Historian Vikram Sampath said that using terms such as ‘secular’ or ‘communal’ to describe Tipu wasn’t appropriate as there was no concept of ‘India’ during the period. “It becomes problematic when
politicians enter the fray and blow history out of proportion,” he said.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that political mobilisation against Tipu Jayanti by right-wing groups was due to the fact that he was a Muslim. However, BJP leader Tejaswi Surya described Tipu as a ‘Muslim fanatic’.
“Rather than celebrating Tipu, the State government should have observed the Jayanthi of Shishunala Shareef,” he said.
A gentle reminder
BJP leader Tejaswi Surya likened Tipu’s ambitions to that of terrorist organisations. He was interrupted by historian Vikram Sampath, who reminded Surya that it was December 6. December 6 was the day Babri Masjid was demolished.