Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s name is conspicuously missing from the invites sent for the Tipu Jayanti celebrations at the official event at the state Assembly building and secretariat Vidhan Soudha.
According to reports, Kumaraswamy’s name is missing from the list because the Gowdas believe that honouring the Sultan of Mysore would bring them bad luck. It is believed that whoever honours the tyrant, pays for it. In place of Kumaraswamy, deputy chief minister Dr. G Parameshwara from Congress will grace the event which will be held on Saturday, 10th November.
Believers say that fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya had brought back Tipu Sultan’s sword from England to Karnataka and is now is spending his time in London as a fugitive. Sanjay Khan, who played the role of Tipu Sultan almost lost his life in a massive fire that broke out on the sets back in 1989 which killed 42 people and injured many more. When former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah lost power after he started celebrating Tipu Jayanti.
As per the News18 report, many within the Congress are also not too keen on Tipu Jayanti celebration but they cannot stop it now for fear of coming across as anti-Muslim. Kumaraswamy himself was once a critic of spending government funds on Tipu Jayanti celebrations. But with the coalition government in Karnataka where Congress has won more seats than JD(S), Kumaraswamy hardly had much choice.
This is not the first time HD Kumaraswamy has shown his superstitious side. Earlier, in May, it was reported that he had refused to move into the official residence since ‘vastu’ consultants had adviced him against it.