A fiery debate broke out on Twitter on Wednesday as the hashtag #BharatRatnaForTipu trended, with well over 30,000 tweets as of Wednesday evening.
Tipu Sultan, the Mysore king who ruled between 1782 and 1799 has left a divisive legacy in India. Though revered by some as an anti-colonial hero who beat the British in the Battle of Pollilur and who managed to slow down their advance, he is also reviled by those who see him as a bigot who oppressed and forcibly converted the Hindus—Kodavas in particular.
While Tipu’s legacy has long been debated, the topic has reached the public of late in particular after the BJP government in Karnataka scrapped the celebration of Tipu’s birth anniversary shortly after coming to power. Later, the state’s education minister ordered a report to look into removing Tipu from textbooks in the state.
Recently, on November 7, the Karnataka High Court directed the state government to reconsider its decision after hearing a PIL that challenged it.
On the morning of November 20, the All India Mahila Congress tweeted in praise of Tipu, remembering him for his "valour and resistance" against the East India Company.
After that, the hashtag #BharatRatnaForTipu started to trend several hours later.
A speech by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya speech was widely shared, where he called Tipu a fanatic. In it, Surya says, “All that Tipu did was persecute temples, demolish idols, and convert people in thousands.”
Those who defended Tipu saw him as a freedom fighter fighting the British, and as a ruler who pioneered rocketry.
Critics of Tipu saw him as a religious bigot and a brutal killer.
Islamic scholar Mufti Yasir Nadeem shared several tweets in praise of Tipu, using the hashtag. He also called for other Mughal rulers, including Aurangzeb and Shah Jahan, to be recognised.
As the debate grew ever-more historical, some shared the inscription Tipu Sultan had engraved at Srirangapatna, originally intended against the British.
Tipu Jayanti is celebrated on November 10.