Right-wing claims Vokkaligas killed Tipu, not British: Historians call it a distortion of history
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Bengaluru: Former Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan has been a tool for the right-wing BJP to consolidate Hindu votes and marginalize Muslims in Karnataka for years. Now, it is time for another Assembly election in the state, and the BJP has come out with another claim that has never been documented in history. Contrary to the established historical facts about the death of Tipu Sultan, the right-wing's new narrative is that he was killed by Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, Vokkaliga chieftains.
Deviating from the well known fact that Tipu Sultan was a strong resistance fighter against the colonial British invaders and was killed during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1798-99 with the help of Marathas and Nizam of Hyderabad, the said characters were first floated in a play titled Tippu Nijakanasugalu (Real Dreams of Tipu). The play was written and directed by right-wing sympathizer Addanda Cariappa, who is a former Director of Rangayana.
It can be surmised that the reason why the right wing and the BJP are twisting history is nothing but to reap maximum votes in the upcoming assembly election. However, what do historians have to say about the new two figures being introduced?
The right-wing narrative is that Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, Vokkaliga chieftains who were in Hyder Ali's army, plotted and killed Tipu Sultan as revenge for betraying Mysore Wodeyars, as reported by The News Minute.
Historians in Karnataka have no hesitation in flagging the BJP's efforts to distort history for political gain. Quoting cultural theorist and author N Manu Chakravarthy, The News Minute report states that the introduction of the two new characters in Mysore history is purely a figment of the right-wing imagination and has no evidence to support the claim, particularly with regard to Tipu Sultan's alleged betrayal.
Although there is documented history regarding Tipu Sultan's death and his confrontation with the British, Chakravarthy added that he had found no mention of Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda in any of these documents, nor in folklore or songs.
Professor NV Narasimhaiah, a veteran historian who specializes in the history of the Mysuru Kingdom and was also quoted in the TNM report, is also certain that the names mentioned in Addanda Cariappa's play did not exist in history. He claimed that after a deep exploration of historical documents for months, he found no reference to these imaginary characters.
Both historians are of the opinion that the BJP is using these characters to manipulate history and gain political mileage.
"The BJP is not simply distorting history, but actually manipulating it to vitiate the future. This is part of a sinister design. One can create any number of imaginary characters, but this is being done to break the Vokkaliga vote bank," says Manu Chakravarthy. Professor Narasimhaiah also sees this as a ploy to set Vokkaligas against Muslims.
The Old Mysuru region, which has 61 Assembly seats, has a significant number of Vokkaliga voters. The BJP has had the least electoral success in this region historically.