‘Ram’ written on Tipu Sultan’s ring… Politics heated up over history in Maharashtra, Owaisi cornered BJP

A statement has created a new controversy in Maharashtra politics. The political atmosphere has heated up after the state president of Congress compared 18th century ruler Tipu Sultan with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The ruling party and the opposition have come face to face on this comment, and the rhetoric has intensified. Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal, while talking to journalists in Buldhana, had compared Tipu Sultan and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

This statement of Harshvardhan Sapkal came amid the ongoing controversy regarding the installation of Tipu Sultan’s picture in the office of the Deputy Mayor of Malegaon Municipal Corporation. This issue was opposed by some organizations and Shiv Sena councilors at the local level. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed this comment as condemnable and said that making such comparisons is wrong. He said that the Congress leader should be ashamed of his statement.

Owaisi’s counterattack

Now Asaduddin Owaisi has also jumped into this controversy. Attacking the BJP, he said that Tipu Sultan was a ruler who fought against the British and sacrificed for the freedom of the country. Owaisi said that Tipu Sultan was martyred in 1799 and instead of bowing down before the British, he sacrificed his life while fighting.

Owaisi also claimed that ‘Ram’ was written on the ring found from Tipu Sultan and it had also been auctioned. Referring to former President APJ Abdul Kalam’s book ‘Wings of Fire’, he said that Tipu is mentioned in it in the context of rocket technology.

quoting Gandhi

Taking the name of Mahatma Gandhi, Owaisi said that in his writings he too had described Tipu Sultan as a supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity. He also said that many Hindu officials held important positions during Tipu’s rule and gave the example of the reconstruction of the Sringeri Math.

This whole matter has started a round of allegations and counter-allegations among political parties. While BJP is accusing Congress of distorting history, the opposition says that the facts regarding Tipu Sultan are being ignored.