Even Prez Kovind had praised Tipu Sultan: Congress retort to BJP amid naming row

Amid the BJPs opposition to the alleged move of naming a renovated garden here after Tipu Sultan the Maharashtra Congress on Thursday claimed that even President Ram Nath Kovind had praised the 18th century Mysore ruler in the Karnataka Assembly in 2017The BJP had on Wednesday held protests alleging that the renovated garden has been named after Tipu Sultan It objected to the name claiming that Sultan had persecuted Hindus and hence his name was unacceptable for a public facility However Maharashtra minister Aslam Shaikh who inaugurated new facilities at the garden in suburban Malvani had said that it always bore the name of Tipu Sultan and that there was no fresh nomenclatureCountering BJPs allegations Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said President Ram Nath Kovind while addressing the Karnataka assembly in 2017 had mentioned the works of Tipu Sultan Has BJP forgotten it completely It is BJPs deformed politics to bring religion to portray historical figures and to spew venom of hatred and polarisationHe also claimed that the BJPs style of politics of painting everything black and white is a deformed one and such approach should be rejected completelySri Mookambika temple in Kollur performs a special aarti in the name of Tipu Sultan everyday at 730 in the evening Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose whose hologram was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called Tipu as a martyr and his Mysore tiger was made part of his Azad Hind Senas flag as well as figured on its uniform Sawant saidTipu Sultan was 18th century ruler of the then Mysore state and died while fighting a battle against the BritishMinister Shaikh has claimed that the garden was known by the name of Tipu Sultan since the last 15 years His cabinet colleague and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said no such decision of naming garden after Tipu Sultan has been taken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC which is the sole authority to name a public place in the citySawant in his tirade against the BJP said When the army of Peshwas attacked Sringeri mutt in Karnataka set up by Shankaracharya it was redeveloped and later protected by Tipu Sultan only Mysore Gazette has documented a list of 165 temples which were supported by Tipu SultanIn 2013 BJP corporators had unanimously supported naming a road in M east ward as Shaheed Tipu Sultan road Sawant claimed while tweeting a document of the passed resolution from his social media accountSrikantheshwara temple in Nanjangud in the same state had received a Shiv Linga by Tipu Sultan and people continue to offer prayers even today he saidNCP chief spokesperson and state cabinet minister Nawab Malik said Tipu Sultan never surrendered before the British and he martyred in the battle against the invaders BJP is opposing such warriors BJP leader in Karnataka B S Yediyurappa used to celebrate Tipu Sultans death anniversary but after becoming chief minister he cancelled itEven in Mumbai BJP corporators had given letters to name the garden after Tipu Sultan It is nothing but BJPs tactic of diverting the attention of people he saidMeanwhile speaking to a regional news channel on Wednesday All India MajlisEIttehadul Muslimeen AIMIM leader and partys Lok Sabha member from Aurangabad Imtiaz Jaleel said the name of Tipu Sultan was being opposed as he was a MuslimThose who are opposing the name of Tipu Sultan even dont know why they are doing so Tipu Sultan is a fact in Indian history and we should accept it Just like Maharana Pratap Tipu Sultan is also known for his bravery he saidWhether you like him or not is a different issue But Tipu Sultan is a part of our history and we have to accept it They are opposing his name just because he was a Muslim I dont think this can be an issue of controversy he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever