NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State for Skill Development Anantkumar Hegde has firmly informed top officials of the Karnataka government to leave him out of any events in celebration of Tipu Jayanti.
In a letter addressed to the chief secretary of state and the deputy commissioner of Uttara Kannada, Hegde has directed them not to include his name in programme invitations to mark the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan on November 10.
"(I have) Conveyed (to) Karnataka government not to invite me to the shameful event of glorifying a person known as the brutal killer, wretched fanatic, and mass rapist," the BJP leader said in a tweet.
Anantkumar Hegde, a five-time Member of Parliament for Uttara Kannada, has been a vocal opponent of the ruling Congress party and passionately opposed the state-sponsored celebrations of Tipu Jayanti since its beginning in 2015. However, protocol mandates that his name is integrated into invites for all government events conducted in the district.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah censured Hegde for distancing himself from the festivities and blamed him of politicizing the issue.
"As part of the government, he shouldn't have written it. Invitation (for Tipu Jayanti celebration) will be sent out to all central and state leaders, up to them to accept or reject," Siddaramaiah said
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