Tipu Sultan’s descendant urges government of Karnataka to resume Tipu Jayanti celebrations-OxBig News Network

A file photo of people offering tributes to Tipu Sultan on his birth anniversary in Mandya in Karnataka on November 10, 2019.
| Photo Credit: File photo

Demanding that the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka reinstate Tipu Jayanti celebrations as a State-sponsored event, Sahabzada Mansoor Ali Tipu, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, said that he will launch a State-wide agitation until the government resumes celebrating the erstwhile Mysuru ruler’s birth anniversary.

Addressing presspersons in Kalaburagi on November 24, Mr. Tipu recalled that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah started celebrating Tipu Jayanti as a State-sponsored function on November 10 in 2015 during his first tenure as CM.

“But now, the government has turned a deaf ear to our demand to celebrate Tipu’s birth anniversary,” he said.

“Once Congress considered Muslims as its vote bank, but the grand old party does not need our [Muslim] votes any more,” Mr. Tipu said.

He said that Tipu Sultan was the most secular ruler of his time. He protected Sringeri mutt, temple of Lord Ranganatha in Srirangapatna and the temple in Nanjangud.

Mr. Tipu, who is president of Tehrik-e-Khudadad, said that the objective of the organisation is to protect and raise awareness about historical facts and also ensure the welfare and uplift of minorities.