Saffron units in Udupi slam celebrations

Udupi: The Udupi BJP and VHP units will oppose Tipu Jayanti celebrations in the district and will organise protest across the district on November 9. All five BJP MLAs from the district and opposition members will be in full attendance.
Mattar Ratnakar Hegde, BJP district unit president said: “We’ll register our opposition to the celebration on November 10 and statewide protests will be held on November 9. The Siddaramaiah-led government started Tipu Jayanti celebrations in 2015 even though there was opposition from different sections of the society. It’s a tragedy that chief minister Kumaraswamy has gone the same way."

He added, “The CM should understand that Tipu tried to expand his rule here, but did not contribute to the state or country. He attacked over 8,000 temples and over 1,000 churches to take away wealth. It’s not a matter to celebrate.” He urged the government to immediately withdraw the celebration.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagran Vedike also opposed the event. Sunil KR, VHP convener in the southern zone said: “The state government has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of a cruel and fanatic person. During his governance, he persecuted many Hindus. The previous Congress government celebrated it for vote-bank politics. There was violence in many district.”

The Mangaluru Lok Sabha MP and BJP MLAs from Dakshina Kannada have written to the deputy director, Dakshina Kannada and culture department, not to include their names in the celebrations. They condemned it, alleging that Tipu was a brutal killer and termed the celebration shameful.