Bengaluru: As the political climate in the state heats up in advance of polls later this year, a Karnataka minister's call to "finish off" opposition Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sparked a new controversy. The minister later expressed regrets over the remarks.
Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan recently spoke to a crowd in Mandya and said, "Do you prefer VD Savarkar, a proponent of Hindu nationalism, or Tipu Sultan? Should we deliver this Tipu Sultan somewhere? What was done by Nanje Gowda? You ought to eliminate him (Siddaramaiah) in a similar manner."
Amid a tug-of-war for votes in Karnataka over the Muslim ruler, right-wing groups have claimed that Tipu Sultan did not die fighting the British, but was killed by two Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda - a theory disputed by some historians.
Reacting to the statement, the Congress unit in Karnataka has filed a police complaint against Narayan. They have also filed a complaint against state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, who said those who revere Tipu Sultan should be "driven out" of Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah has accused Narayan of trying to "instigate" people to kill him and urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to immediately sack the minister.
"Higher Education Minister Ashwath Narayan has appealed to people to kill me the way Tipu was killed. Ashwath Narayan, Why are you trying to instigate people? Get the gun yourself," the Congress veteran said.
The former chief minister claimed in a series of tweets that the absence of any action against the minister demonstrated that Bommai, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, and their "incompetent cabinet is sleeping and is in accord with Ashwath Narayan."