With the district administration pouring cold water over the hopes of Tipu Sultan’s admirers to celebrate his jayanti at Bannimantap grounds on Sunday, former Minister Tanveer Sait has questioned the government’s decision to deny permission for private celebrations of the erstwhile ruler on public property.
He said the plan to hold Tipu Jayanti and Rajyotsava celebrations at Bannimantap grounds in Mysuru as a private affair was backed by a large number of secular-minded people, Dalit and Christian organisations, besides Congress and JD(S) leaders and supporters.
He accused the district administration of “dancing to the tunes of the BJP leaders and the State government” by denying permission to hold celebrations at Bannimantap grounds, which is a public property managed by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
While refusing permission, Deputy Commissioner Abhiram Sankar, who is also the chairperson of MUDA, had pointed out that the government had cancelled Tipu Jayanti celebrations. He claimed that he had sought a clarification from the Chief Secretary and the Advocate General on whether celebrations could be permitted on public property. Mr. Sait, who led protests on MUDA premises on Wednesday and Thursday, said there will no venue available for them to hold the celebrations privately if the government extends cancellation of Jayanti celebrations to public properties.
Congress leader M. Lakshmana pointed out that the High Court had asked the State government to consider reviewing its decision, while the Advocate-General had said that the government had no objections to private celebrations.
