Vishwesha Tirtha Swamiji of Pejawar Math on Wednesday said the university proposed to be set up by the Union Government in Srirangapatna could be named after non-controversial persons such as Kabir, Shishunal Sharif, Maulana Azad or Abdul Kalam instead of Tipu Sultan.
In a press release issued here, the seer said that there were many persons belonging to the Muslim community who were known for their tolerance and had been admired by both Hindus and Muslims. But there was a lot of controversy surrounding Tipu Sultan.
Writer M. Chidananda Murthy had quoted several controversial instances from the life of Tipu Sultan. Instead of responding to Mr. Chidanandamurthy’s charges, those supporting Tipu Sultan, were only criticising Mr. Chidanandamurthy and writer S.L. Bhairappa.
The seer said that he had a lot of respect and admiration for Islam and participated in several functions organised by the Muslim community.
India was a secular country. Hence, it was not right to have a university that gave special attention to the people of a particular community.
It was necessary to treat persons belonging to both majority and minority communities in the country equally. It was incorrect to give more importance to any one community.
