Handwara: Awami Itehaad Party (AIP) president and MLA Langate, Engineer Abdul Rasheed Sheikh on Friday termed the controversy created by various fanatic elements over Tipu Jayanti as ‘very unfortunate and unacceptable’.
Er Rasheed appealed BJP leadership to revisit it’s unrealistic stand on various issues and try not to distort the history.
While interacting with people in Handwara and Langate, Er Rasheed reminded BJP and its allies the historic role and sacrifices offered by Tipu Sultan, who is called ‘The Tiger of Mysore’.
“If BJP and others are dragging ‘Tiger of Mysore’ into controversy and trying to portray him as communal and anti-Hindu, they need to answer that if Tipu Sultan was the only ruler in whose regime people were killed.”
“While Tipu constructed and repaired many prominent temples in Mysore, role of Rana Pratap and Shivaji is not hidden. If Tipu was communal let BJP and others explain what were Shivaji and Rana Pratap,” he said.
Er Rasheed further added that if BJP and likeminded forces indulge in false propaganda by accusing Tipu Sultan of murdering minorities, then they need to explain how these forces can praise Maharaja of J&K who butchered five lakh Muslims in 1947.
“Praising Maharaja Hari Singh and accusing Tipu Sultan exposes BJP’s hypocrisy and hatred against Muslim rulers. Let BJP and likeminded forces debate the role of every autocratic ruler including Tipu Sultan, Rana Pratap, Shivaji and Maharaja Hari Singh. Had Tipu Sultan been communal then he would have never fought with Nizam of Hyderabad. His top Ministers and Bureaucrats in his council too would not have been from Hindu community,” he said.
“Sooner the BJP and its allies realize that discrediting Tipu Sultan and trying to prove him a villain will never change the history and tiger of Mysore will continue to rule hearts and minds of billions of people cutting across ethnic and religious affiliations,” he said.
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