Karnataka Minister Regrets 'Finish Off Siddaramaiah Like Tipu Sultan' Jibe
NDTV
Siddaramaiah has accused Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan of trying to "instigate" people to kill him and urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to immediately sack the minister.
A Karnataka minister's appeal to "finish off" former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of the opposition Congress like 18th Century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan has triggered a fresh controversy as politics in the state heats up ahead of elections later this year.
Addressing a public gathering recently in Mandya, Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said, "Do you want Tipu [Sultan] or [Hindutva ideologue VD] Savarkar? Where should we send this Tipu Sultan? What did Nanje Gowda do? You should finish him (Siddaramaiah) off the same way."
Amid a tug-of-war for votes in Karnataka over the Muslim ruler, right-wing groups have claimed that Tipu Sultan did not die fighting the British, but was killed by two Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda - a theory disputed by some historians.
Reacting to the statement, the Congress unit in Karnataka has filed a police complaint against Mr Narayan. They have also filed a complaint against state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, who said those who revere Tipu Sultan should be "driven out" of Karnataka.
