BENGALURU: After Mysuru MLA Tavneer Sait announced that a 100-foot-tall Tipu Sultan statue will be erected, intellectuals from the Muslim community from Bengaluru and Mysuru said the comment is a reflection of misplaced priorities.
Tazaiyun Oomer, a woman activist and secretary of the NGO Humane Touch that has conducted over 2,000 marriages of the poor, said the MLA is doing more damage to the Muslim community. “Instead of a statue, our community needs access to quality education, improved health facilities and low-cost housing. It is absurd to spend huge amounts of public funds to erect a statue that may be vandalised in future,” she said.
Society is not going to benefit from a Tipu statue. It is against the ethics of Islam. Also, the statue may trigger communal tensions as some elements may take advantage of the issue, she said.
Echoing similar sentiments, Ameen Mudassar, founder and CEO of CIGMA Foundation, said it is completely a political move. “Tipu’s stature cannot be brought down to the level of a statue and he should not be used by politicians for their political gains. Tipu’s contribution and valour are known across the world. Tipu does not need a statue,” he added.
Prof Mussafar Assadi, a political scientist and analyst, said, “Instead of a statue, let there be seminars on Tipu’s teachings and bravery. The focus should be on his secular values. The leaders can think about taking sericulture to the next level or giving land to the downtrodden and Dalits. If these things are done, it will be a mark of respect to Tipu. But definitely not a statue.”