Controversies surrounding Tipu Sultan refuse to die down

Going by popular tales and folklore, Vokkaliga chieftains Uri & Nanje Gowda had killed 'tyrant' Tipu in the 1799 war while some historians claim that there is historical evidence to prove that he was killed by the Britis

With Assembly election knocking on the door, the controversies surrounding Tipu Sultan are back to hog the headlines in Karnataka. Ruling BJP seems to have fallen back on the issue and is pitching up the narrative of the 18th-century Mysuru ruler versus iconic freedom fighter Veer Savarkar and Lord Ram all again in the State.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mandya on March 12 for a political rally, two welcome arches dedicated to Vokkaliga chieftains - Uri Gowda and Dodda Nanje Gowda, who the saffron party claims to have killed Tipu Sultan - were put up. It was, however, removed overnight after locals objected to it, reported a local newspaper.

This attempt by the BJP to showcase the Vokkaliga chieftains is being seen as part of the party's new electoral push to appeal to Vokkaliga voters who are crucial in the Old Mysore region from the electoral point of view. The saffron party has been invoking the names of Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda to make inroads into the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region ahead of polls.

BJP taking aggressive posture

BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi on Friday claimed that Tipu wanted to name Hassan as 'Karimabad'. "If Tipu and his ideology were alive, Hassan would have become Kaimabad today. Does JDS leader H.D. Kumaraswamy also want to call it so?" he wondered. Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda were historical persons, and it is a truth that they killed Tipu Sultan, he further claimed.

Earlier this month, Karnataka Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan gave a public call in Mandya to finish off Opposition leader Siddaramaiah the way "Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda finished off Tipu Sultan." The remarks sparked outrage and protests from the Congress, forcing the Minister to retract his statement.

Though the statement has stirred a huge controversy in the State, this is not the first time Tipu Sultan has polarised the Kannadiga electorate. A section of people in the Old Mysuru belt claims that Tipu did not die fighting the British, but was killed by the two Vokkaliga chieftains. It has, however, been contested by some historians with obvious ideological leaning.

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje too asserted that Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda were real and there are historical references about them. Pointing out that their names are there in plays and ballads, she said they fought Tipu to safeguard the family of Mysuru Maharajas and to protect the State. "Why are Congress and JDS worried?" she wondered.

JDS vote bank in jeopardy?

While Congress and JDS leaders have maintained that "Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda did not even exist, and they might just be fictional characters," the BJP seems to be hell-bent on using the duo as their latest mascots. The saffron party is also using them to target Tipu Sultan and accuse Congress and JDS of indulging in appeasement politics, by celebrating the Muslim ruler who was responsible for massacre of Hindus and destruction of their temples.

Charging the BJP with 'misleading' Vokkaligas by using 'fictional' characters and claiming that they killed Tipu Sultan, former CM Kumaraswamy, in a series of tweets, has alleged that attempts are on to 'malign' the community. This is part of a "hidden agenda" by the BJP to "insult and politically end" Vokkaligas, through a 'smear' campaign, he said.

It is to be seen whose narrative people are going to buy in the upcoming elections. But a question arises over Kumaraswamy's claim that BJP is trying to "insult and malign" the Vokkaligas, whereas the fact is that if it is historically true, the community would only be proud of, and not ashamed of. His concern is understandable as Vokkaligas constitute the major vote bank of JDS and it has a strong base in the Old Mysuru region. He is certainly afraid of BJP weaning away his votebank through such 'gimmicks'.

Who are Uri & Nanje Gowda?

A section of historians claim that Tipu Sultan died in 1799 fighting the British in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore war. They also claim that there is historical evidence to prove it. However, as per the popular tales and folklore, the Gowda duo were the heroes who had killed 'tyrant' Tipu in that war.

Tipu Sultan, also known as the 'Tiger of Mysore', was the son of Sultan Hyder Ali of Mysore and ruled the kingdom of Mysore from 1783 to 1799. Whatever is the truth, the historical debate has turned into a political one and it's now up to the electorate to take a pick.