Yediyurappa govt cancels Tipu Jayanti celebrations in Karnataka
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government of BS Yediyurappa has decided to stop celebrating Tipu Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan observed in November.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has ordered the Kannada and Culture Department to not celebrate Tipu Jayanti. The decision was taken at Monday’s cabinet meeting.
The decision was taken based on an application filed by BJP MLA Bopaiah.
Tipu Jayanti was celebrated by the Karnataka government every year and the past few years have seen severe protests by BJP leaders.
The Tipu Jayanti celebrations were started by the Siddaramaiah government in 2015 and was observed in November every year.
In the past years BJP has led heated protests against the Tipu Jayanti celebrations that were observed by the previous Congress government led by Siddaramaiah. JDS chief minister HD Kumaraswamy however did not actively take part in the Tipu Jayanti celebrations like his predecessor.
BJP MLA Bopaiah cited these protests to call for a ban on the Tipu Jayanti celebrations.
The saffron party has maintained that Tipu Sultan was a tyrant and there is no reason for Karnataka to celebrate the Mysore ruler. However, Congress and JDS have defended Tipu Sultan’s regime saying he was a valiant ruler who defended the land from the Britishers and died fighting them.
