Koppal (Karnataka): Karnataka BJP chief and Member of Parliament Nalin Kateel has stoked a fresh controversy claiming that the fight in the upcoming Assembly elections in the southern state was between those who believed in Rama and Hanuman and those who followed Tipu Sultan.
Kateel delivered a charged up speech at Yelaburga area of Koppal district on Tuesday in which he shockingly suggested killing those who followed Tipu Sultan, the 18th century Mysore king who has become the saffron party's go-to historical figure to target anyone opposed to it. "We are devotees of Rama and Hanuman. We are not Tipu descendants, we send Tipu descendants back home," he said.
“I ask the people here whether you offer prayers to Lord Hanuman or Tipu. Then will you send those who are ardent followers of Tipu to the forest? Think about it. Do you think this state requires Lord Hanuman devotees or descendants of Tipu? I am issuing a challenge -- those who are ardent followers of Tipu should not remain alive on this fertile soil," he added.
Kateel was presiding over a meeting of BJP leaders as part of the Vijayasankalpa Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday evening at city's junior college ground. "Where should Tipu's devotee Siddaramaiah go if Anjaneya's (Hanuman) devotee is to be in the assembly? He should be sent to the forest. Send Siddaramaiah to the forest in 2023 elections," Nalin said in his speech.
BJP's abhorrence for Tipu Sultan has time and again come up in its leaders' speeches in which they use his name to target those in the opposition. Interestingly, this is not the first time Kateel has come up with such controversial statements. Last month, Kateel asked people to stop discussing issues like roads and sewage and instead focus on ending "love jihad". He had asked people to worry about their children's future and support BJP if they wanted to stop "love jihad".
The Karnataka Assembly polls are set to take place in May this year. BJP will try to throw everything it in the ring to be in power in the southern state where hung assemblies are every political party's nightmare. The saffron party was the single largest party in three assembly elections -- 2004, 2008, and 2018 -- however it always fell short of the magic halfway mark of 113 in the 224 member Assembly. The led the BJP to form an alliance with Janata Dal (Secular) in 2006 while in 2008 and 2018 the party played the defection politics to come to power.
