Tipu Jayanti: An avoidable Controversy

"Tipu Jayanti" is an unnecessary controversy created by the Congress government in Karnataka. No doubt, Tipu Sultan was a brave monarch & a great strategist - a fact admitted even by his bitter enemies - the British. Equating his "bravery" to "patriotism" for the Mysore state - of which he was the undisputed monarch - is fine but extending this logic to call him a "Indian nationalist & freedom fighter" is not; after all the idea of India is a 20th century phenomena & not an 18th century one when Tipu lived. 

Historians should debate his secular credentials too. The BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao speaks about the letter written by Tipu to the Nawab of Kurnool on how he subjugated the people of Coorg & got them converted to Islam; the congress spokesperson says that Coorg was captured to provide right of way to the Mangalore port which was of strategic significance. Not sure about the veracity of these events but historians should necessarily debate the secular credentials of Tipu, especially when several Christian organizations too have raised the banner of protest.

Noted historian, RamChandra Guha, put it succinctly that since India has chosen to be a "Republic" - an anathema to "Monarchy" - no Indian state should sponsor birth anniversaries of Monarchs; however private individuals or political parties can have that luxury, perhaps, as a respect to their "fundamental rights"