Karnataka BJP Chief Sparks Row, Says Followers of Tipu Sultan Should be Killed

Karnataka Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Nalin Kumar Kateel on Wednesday sparked a row as he spoke about the 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and called for the “killing” of all his ardent followers. Reiterating the common right-wing stand that considers Tipu Sultan a tyrant who forcefully converted thousands to Islam, Kateel said he is issuing a challenge.

“Ardent followers of Tipu Sultan should be chased out and sent to forests. We are not Tipu’s descendants. We follow Lord Ram and worship Lord Hanuman, so let’s send Tipu’s descendants back home,” he said during his controversial speech at the ‘Vijay Sankalpa Yatra’ in Koppal district.

Expanding on his analogy of Lord Hanuman, Kateel said, “Think about it. Do you think this state requires Lord Hanuman devotees or descendants of Tipu? I am issuing a challenge — those who are ardent followers of Tipu should not remain alive on this fertile soil.”

The Tipu Sultan versus Hanuman debate was triggered by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ahead of the 2018 election in Karnataka, an NDTV report said.

He also slammed former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah by calling him a “broker” who was previously striking deals with the JDS and now with the Congress to become the CM face for the upcoming assembly elections.

Kateel said if Congress returns to power in Karnataka, then the state will become the ATM of Congress. “He calls me a joker, I call him a broker. In this country, it’s okay if someone becomes a joker but it’s difficult if one becomes a villain, they’ll abduct anyone they want,” said.

“All their stories are about abduction. He brokered and stayed in the Congress, he brokered and stayed in the JDS and once again brokered and became a chief minister,” he further said.

Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also charged that the Congress and the JD(S) believed Tipu Sultan and that the two parties cannot do any good for Karnataka. He had hailed the ruling BJP which was inspired by 16th century Tuluva queen of Ullal Rani Abbakka Chowta, for a prosperous rule in the state.

Amit Shah was in Puttur to celebrate the golden jubilee celebration of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co-operative Limited (CAMPCO) at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district.

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