AMN / WEB DESK
Karnataka unit president of Bharatiya Janata Party, Nalin Kumar Kateel stoked yet another controversy saying that only people who “perform bhajans of Ram” should stay in Yelburga in Koppal district, and not those who love 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan, reported The Indian Express.
Kateel was speaking at a public rally in the district on Tuesday in the run-up to the 2023 Karnataka election, which is scheduled in May.
“We are devotees of Ram. We are devotees of Anjaneya… We are not the offspring of Tipu. Therefore, I ask the people of Yelburga whether you pray for Anjaneya or chant Tipu’s name,” Kateel said.
When people responded saying Anjaneya, Kateel said, “In that case, won’t you chase away those performing bhajans of Tipu to the forest? Take a vow and decide whether you want the offspring of Tipu, or Ram devotees or Anjaneya devotees in this land… Those who love Tipu should not remain in this land and only those who perform bhajans of Ram should,” he said.
The BJP leader invoked the name of Anjaneya in Koppal district, which is believed to be ‘Kishkindha Kshetra’, the monkey kingdom as mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana. The place is also believed to be the birthplace of Hanuman at Anjanadri – the hill of Hanuman’s mother Anjana.
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This is not the first time the BJP leader has stirred a row with his comments. Speaking at a political rally in Shivamogga on February 8, he had said that the upcoming Karnataka elections will not be a political battle between the Congress and the BJP, but between the ideologies of Tipu Sultan and Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar.
In January, his remarks that the people of Karnataka should prioritise “love jihad” issue in the upcoming Assembly election, over civic issues such as “road, gutter, drain and other small issues” triggered a row. The video of his speech was widely shared on social media.