Mysore/Mysuru: “To unify the community members, a 100 ft. tall Statue of Tipu Sultan, will be installed in city,” announced Narasimharaja Constituency MLA Tanveer Sait.

He was speaking at the Tipu Jayanti and Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations held near Al Badar Circle in Rajivnagar here yesterday. The MLA said that whether the Government celebrates or not, Tipu Jayanti celebrations will continue across the State.

Speaking about the play ‘Tipu Nijakanasugalu,’ directed by Rangayana Director Addanda C. Cariappa, Tanveer Sait said that the play has aspects that are contradictory to Tipu’s history and a legal battle will be initiated against the release of the book on  Nov. 13 and also to stop staging of the play.

MLC  A.H. Vishwanath, who too spoke, condemned the efforts to tamper Tipu’s history. “Any attempt to tamper or twist the history and facts about Tipu for political gain will only create controversies. But no one can change Tipu’s history,” the MLC added.

Describing Tipu as a ‘symbol of self-respect’, Vishwanath said that Tipu did not bow before the British, but fought against them to save his kingdom and added that Tipu was and would continue to be the ‘Tiger of Mysore.’

Dismissing claims that Tipu had killed 70,000 people and had converted 40,000 people in Kodagu, the MLC said that these claims can only be a story as the population at that period was much less than this number. He also said that Tipu Sultan never opposed Hindu religion and had sent his troops to protect Sringeri Mutt when it was under attack.

Former Mayor Ayub Khan, Abdul Majid of SDPI, Programme Convener Abdul Khader Shahid, former Deputy Mayor Anwar Baig, religious heads of various communities and others                                    were present.