Two days after coming into power in Karnataka through a voice vote, Chief Minister Yediyurappa cancelled the annual 'Tipu Jayanti' celebrations in the state. According to the government, the decision came after Virajpet MLA K.G. Bopaiah wrote to Yediyurappa, requesting him to cancel the event organised annually by the state Kannada and Culture Department. There were widespreads protests against the celebrations, especially in the Kodagu regions.
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In 2018, the JD(S)-Congress coalition government had taken a decision to go ahead with the celebration, which was introduced by the previous Congress government led by Siddaramaiah in 2015.
However, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had taken a three-day break from work, which was widely read as his reluctance to attend the controversial celebration. The official invitation excluded the chief minister's name from the event.
Tipu Jayanti celebrations in the state irks several communities who felt they were victimised by the 18th century ruler. While the debate over whether Tipu was a freedom fighter or a religious bigot remains to be resolved, every year, the Jayanti does cause a turbulence in the state.
The Kodavas contend that the government is mocking their sentiment by propping Tipu as a hero, though he has “massacred” thousands of Kodavas. A section of the Canara Catholics (Konkani) community alleges that Tipu carried out mass (forced) conversions and committed atrocities against their men, women and children suspecting that they supported the British.
The Nayaka clan of Chitradurga believes that Tipu's father Hyder Ali, who seized the Chitradurga fort in 1779 (after three failed attempts) and imprisoned Madakari Nayaka, the feudal king, captured and moved out the members of the warrior clan—the Nayakas (Bedar caste)—to Srirangapatna and inducted them into his army. The anger against Siddaramaiah government for patronising Tipu's legacy is said to have prompted the ST (Nayaka) community to lean towards the BJP during the last assembly elections.
