Mangaluru: Vested interests have been attempting to distort the history for political gains. Unfortunately, some modern historians too have joined them without verifying the facts, said district minister B Ramanath Rai.

Speaking after inaugurating the Tipu Jayanti celebrations here at the zilla panchayat premises, Rai said: “A section of political leaders and their supporters started a negative campaign against Tipu after the government decided to celebrate his Jayanti. However, the people shouldn’t be bothered. When they’ve played communal card against the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, the same for Tipu was expected of them,” Rai said taking a jibe at the BJP.

Making a veiled reference to B S Yeddyurappa, Rai slammed the stae BJP president saying the one, who posed for the cameras robing himself as Tipu, has now been speaking against the ‘Tiger of Mysore’.
Minister for food and civil supplies U T Khader said Tipu could have changed the name of his capital Srirangapatna to a Muslim name if he wished to do so. However, he retaining the name is one of the many examples that show that he was a secular leader.

Writer Aravind Chokkadi said Tipu was portrayed as a cruel leader because war was the only means of survival for a king and his kingdom. It was only during the times of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and others that Ahimsa and other means of fights started to emerge, he added.

MLA J R Lobo spoke. As soon as Rai finished his address one Shabeer Katipalla from the audience, took Rai by surprise saying it made no sense to speak about “the greatness of Tipu” inside the closed doors and urged the dignitaries to hold the Jayanti in open from next year.