Newly appointed Rangayana Director Addanda Cariappa’s utterances against 18th century king Tipu Sultan have ruffled feathers among theatre circles in Mysuru, and there are now calls to remove him from the post ahead of Bahuroopi, the national theatre festival.
Mr. Cariappa drew sharp criticism from different quarters after using harsh words at a recent function here to describe the theatre fraternity in Mysuru, who had a high regard for Tipu Sultan.
At the same function, the Rangayana chief even questioned the struggles launched in the name of B.R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, and the Buddha and claimed that those invoking the three icons had no exclusive rights over them.
Former Rangayana Director Janardhan sought his immediate removal from his post.
“The government should immediately remove him from the post and hold the Bahuroopi under somebody else’s leadership,” said Mr. Janardhan. He is pursuing the “divisive agenda” of RSS and bringing disrespect to the post of Director of Rangayana, which is a public office, Mr. Janardhan alleged.
Meanwhile, Mr. Cariappa said his secularism cannot be questioned just because of his remarks about Tipu Sultan. “I remain committed to theatre,” he said in a Facebook post.
Stating that Mahatma Gandhi’s principles were his aim in life, Mr Cariappa made a plea against hatching any conspiracy to spoil the Bahuroopi. He appealed to the people to come and watch the theatre festival.
However, Mr. Janardhan sought to clarify that they were not against the conduct of Bahuroopi.
“Bahuroopi will go on. But, we are against this person leading the show,” he said.
He asked Mr. Cariappa to apologise for his remarks.
Meanwhile, the remarks also drew criticism from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M. Lakshmana.
Mr. Lakshmana said Mr. Cariappa should conduct himself as Rangayana Director and not as a “RSS spokesperson”.