The principal Opposition in the State has kept the pace of protest against the Congress government’s decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti, with its units staging demonstrations and shouting slogans against the latter on Tuesday.
Party MLA from Bailhongal and Belagavi (Rural) district president Vishwanath Patil and former MLA Abhay Patil led the protest by over 100 workers. They were taken into preventive custody by the Market Police when they where marching from Kannada Sahitya Bhavan premises at Rani Channamma circle to the D.C. Office. Later, the police also took into custody party workers who had already marched ahead and staged a protest in front of D.C. Office.
Dr. Patil, who addressed the workers before being taken into custody, said Tipu Sultan was not a freedom fighter as being projected by a section of the society and the Congress government. He said Tipu Sultan had fought only against few officials of East India Company to protect his territorial interests and throne, but not against the British empire in 1799 for the fact that British empire as such had not come into existence then.
Also, Tipu Sultan was not only anti-Hindu, but anti-Kannada. There was wide spread protest against government’s decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti this year through the Department of Kannada and Culture as against the Minority Welfare Department hitherto. The BJP was opposing the celebration on the ground that there was unrest among large section of the population and apprehensions of communal friction posing threat to peace and harmony.
