The party, which is pitching its icon VD Savarkar against Tipu Sultan in a battle of perception, recently made an effort to draw in the politically powerful Vokkaliga community
Bengaluru:
Karnataka, heading for elections in a matter of weeks, is embroiled in a fresh controversy over Tipu Sultan, the 18th Century ruler whom the BJP has converted into an election issue. The party, which is pitching its icon VD Savarkar against Tipu Sultan in a battle of perception,
recently made an effort to draw in the politically powerful Vokkaliga community by upholding claims that it was not the British and Maratha army, but two Vokkaliga leaders who had killed Tipu Sultan. While a prominent religious leader has poured cold water on the plans, the BJP refuses to step back.
Claims from a section of people in the old Mysuru belt that Tipu Sultan was killed by the two Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda was converted into a play based on the book Tipu Nijakanasugalu (Real Dreams of Tipu) by Addanda Cariappa.
Though it has been contested by historians, the claim had been backed by some BJP leaders, including Vokkaliga leaders CT Ravi, the party’s national General Secretary, and ministers Ashwath Narayan and Gopalaiah.
