Karnataka: BJP MP Srinivasa Prasad slams Yediyurappa over Tipu Sultan row

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Chamarajanagar, V Srinivasa Prasad has criticised BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government in Karnataka for giving more importance to Tipu Sultan related issue rather than concentrating on drought relief works.

Prasad said that the state government should have concentrated on drought relief works.

"I have told you how many problems we have in administration in the state at present. I told it clearly, we are reaching 100 days after forming the government after the coalition government collapsed, the MLAs who were the reason to form the government in the state are now disqualified and they are on road now... When we have these many problems was it required to rise the Tipu Sultan issue at this point of time?" Prasad said.

Prasad said that Yediyurappa took the decision about removing lessons related to Tipu Sultan from textbooks in "hurry".

"He must have thought about such a sensitive issue. History has been interpreted in different times in different angles by different people. It's a sensitive issue, Yediyurappa must not have taken the decision in hurry," Prasad said.

Earlier this week, the Karnataka Chief Minister said that the government is considering a proposal to remove Tipu Sultan's name from school textbooks.

"About Tipu Jayanti, we are going to drop everything. We are also thinking to drop everything in the textbooks about him. I do not agree with people who say that Tipu Sultan was a freedom fighter," Yediyurappa said.