Union Minister Anantkumar calls Tip Sultan jayanti shameful event

In a letter addressed to the chief secretary of state and the deputy commissioner of Uttara Kannada, Union Minister of State for Skill Development Anantkumar Hegde has asked the top officials of Karnataka government to not invite him to “shameful” event of glorifying “brutal killer” Tipu Sultan on Tipu Sultan Jayanti on November 10.

“(I have) Conveyed (to) Karnataka government not to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist,” Hedge said in a tweet on Friday.

Reacting to the letter, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that Hegde shouldn’t have done this as he is a part of the government. “As part of the government, he shouldn’t have written it. The invitation to the celebration to mark the birth anniversary of the 18th-century ruler will be sent out to all central and state leaders, it is up to them to accept or reject,” Siddaramaiah told

Siddaramaiah also added that the whole controversy is being made into a political issue. “There were four wars against the British and Tipu fought them all,” he said, adding that Tipu was a “freedom fighter” who helped free India from the clutches of colonialism.