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.
Today we remember the mighty Tipu Sultan as @BSYBJP govt is trying to erase him from our history books.
— All India Mahila Congress (@MahilaCongress) November 20, 2019
The king of Mysore will always be known for his valor and his continuous resistance against the East India Company’s conquest of southern India by building a modern army pic.twitter.com/tgdFU1vroh
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.”
Tipu Sultan one of the most intolerant, cruel & fanatic ruler who wanted to subjugate & convert its population to Islamic faith by force killing thousands of Hindus and demolition of temples.
— Geetika Swami (@SwamiGeetika) November 20, 2019
Why #TipuSultan needs to be glorified? #BharatRatnaForTipupic.twitter.com/YR8WwNAOe7
Those who defended Tipu saw him as a freedom fighter fighting the British, and as a ruler who pioneered rocketry.
"It is far better to live like a lion for a day then to live like a jackal for hundred years. One day's life of a lion is preferable to hundred years of a jackal." — Tipu Sultan#BharatRatnaForTipupic.twitter.com/LifZqIryqr
— Irfan ˗ˏˋ 🚀 ˎˊ˗ (@simplyirfan) November 20, 2019
Critics of Tipu saw him as a religious bigot and a brutal killer.
Four lakh Hindus were converted to Islam by #Tipusultan
— Vinita Hindustani🇮🇳 (@Being_Vinita) November 20, 2019
He destroyed 8000 Hindu temples
Tipu Sultan on the eve of his death, there were only two Hindu temples having daily pujas within the Srirangapattanam fortress. 1/3 https://t.co/GuBBOAHRf9
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.
If India wants to celebrate its glorious past, it has to celebrate Aurangzeb, ShahJahan and #Tipusultan along with Ashoka.
— Dr Yasir Nadeem (@Mufti_Yasir) November 20, 2019
No history is a history without these great rulers. #BharatRatnaForTipu
As the debate grew ever-more historical, some shared the inscription Tipu Sultan had engraved at Srirangapatna, originally intended against the British.
. #Tipusultan a curse on India.
— KS3BOO1 (@KS3BOO1) November 20, 2019
The following is a translation of an inscription on the stone found at Seringapatam, which was situated in a conspicuous place in the fort. pic.twitter.com/9tMfIAP6L3
Tipu Jayanti is celebrated on November 10.
