Bengaluru:
Known for his controversial statements, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday took potshots at Mysore King Tipu Sultan and called him a “servant of the French”.
Swamy also went up to the extent of saying that 18th century ruler of Mysore had no qualities for his memory to be celebrated.
Addressing reporters at a ‘discussion’ organised by “The Open Platform for Netaji”, Swamy said, “His (Tipu) supporters say he fought the British, well he fought the British not as an independent entity, he fought the British as what I would say as the servant of the French. Napolean had arrived in Africa. He was confident of winning the war there and he wanted to come to India, so there was an alliance made by the French and Tipu Sultan to fight the British together. Of course, Napolean lost the war and ended up also losing his position in France. But there is nothing to say that this man (Tipu) has any qualities for which we can celebrate his memory."
The controversy erupted after Karnataka Government decided to celerbrate Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary from this year on November 10.
Few pro-Hindu outfits took a violent turn leading to the death of an activist and another person in Kodagu district following clashes.
A man was also stabbed in Bantwal taluk near Mangaluru.
Swamy added that there is no academically or scholarly or intellectually acceptable biography of Tipu Sultan.
He said, “we have is the letters he wrote to his commander in chief, friends and so on. On the basis of whatever material that is available, there is no doubt that in various parts of India like Coorg, Kerala, Malabar in particular, of course in Trivandrum area where he got a beating- there he has engaged in a severe brutality with focus on Poojari’s of the area.”
Talking about rocketry, Swamy mentioned that Tipu cannot be credited for as the device was developed much before his tenure.
He also pointed out that no govenment decided to celebrate his birthday for the past 216 years but now Congress has popped up the idea to win voters in the upcoming elections.
Then he also assured of reopening of cases into the deaths of few national leaders including Mahatma Gandhi.
This comes after the secret files related to Subhas Chandra Bose were declassified by the central government beginning January 23.
“I will have to request for Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Deendayal Upadhyaya case also....” he added.
