'Tipu Sultan a traitor;TN govt should drop plan for memorial'

Dubbing Tipu Sultan as a "traitor", BJP National Secretary H Raja today demanded the Tamil Nadu government to drop plans to construct a memorial in this town and warned that people would resort to blocking a highway if this was done.
"The 'mani mandapam' (memorial) should not be constructed in Dindigul for Tipu sultan as he was a traitor. If Tamil Nadu government does so, thousands of people will block the Dindigul-Madurai main road in protest," he told reporters here after inaugurating a Ganesha idol procession.
On reports that Rajnikanth had been offered the role of king Tipu Sultan in a movie, he hoped the actor would not accept it.

If he did, it would amount to 'betrayal' of Hindus, he said.
Raja had on September 14 alleged that Tipu Sultan was a tyrant.
"So, if someone is making a movie, showing him as a hero, it is distortion of history. No Tamil actor should be part of such film. Rajinikanth should not do the film," he had said.
Right-wing outfits had also raised objections, saying the superstar should not act in the movie, though Rajnikanth has not commented on the issue so far.