The Haj Bhavan at Kannuru, Bellahalli, in Bengaluru on Friday | Suhas Bharadwaj
BENGALURU: Wakf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan’s statement of considering a proposal to name Haj Bhavan as ‘Tipu Sultan Ghar’ has kicked up a fresh controversy in the state. The BJP has opposed the proposed move and has threatened to launch a state-wide agitation if the government goes ahead with it.
On Friday, Khan said they have received the proposal and he would discuss it with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and senior Congress leaders before taking a final decision. “It is an independent body. We have received a proposal requesting it to be named as Tipu Sultan Ghar and there is nothing wrong if we do it,” the minister said.
His remarks drew sharp reactions from the BJP leaders, who termed Tipu as anti-Hindu had said that he forcibly converted lakhs of Hindus to Islam and destroyed temples. “We had opposed the state government’s move to celebrate Tipu Jayanti and we will oppose any move to name Haj Bhavan as Tipu Ghar,” said former DyCM and senior BJP leader R Ashoka.
BJP MP and General Secretary Shobha Karandlaje said the party would launch a state-wide agitation if the government considers such a proposal. “This government is doing what the Siddaramaiah government had done. They are trying to rake up controversies to divert attention from real issues. There is no development in the state and ministers are not even aware of their responsibilities,” she said.
According to the MP, the project to build the Haj Bhavan was started when B S Yeddyurappa was the CM. He had announced it in the budget and had even made allocations for it. The foundation stone was laid when D V Sadananda Gowda was the CM. “We were determined to build a 100-room bhavan that can accommodate around 500 people, with all facilities in it as people going to Haj were sleeping at airports and railway stations. The `60 crore project was completed and people are even using it now. The minister is now trying to rake up a controversy,” she said.Celebrating Tipu Jayanti was one of the reasons why people rejected Siddaramaiah and the Congress party’s numbers in the assembly came down from 130 to 80, she added.
