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Tipu Sultan row

This refers to the controversy over Karnataka Higher Education Minister D.H. Shankaramurthy's statement that Tipu Sultan was "anti-Kannada" because he promoted Persian during his rule.

Prominent intellectuals have condemned the Minister and demanded his resignation. They would do well to remember what Voltaire is reported to have said: "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it." Freedom of speech is not the exclusive preserve of playwrights and retired professors. Instead of reacting in the manner they did, they ought to have given reasons why the Minister is wrong. That would have been more becoming of their stature.

B.N. Gururaj,
Bangalore

Time and again, the sangh parivar has raised some controversy or the other over Tipu Sultan, the great warrior of Karnataka who fought the British till his last breath. The observation of Mr. Shankaramurthy, a hardcore RSS activist, has once against stirred a hornets' nest. The Minister's diatribe against a benevolent and secular king deserves to be condemned.

N. Divakar,
Mysore

The Minister's statement smacks of communalism, being spread by so-called cultural nationalists. Those who have no respect for Tipu Sultan and many others who gave their lives for the nation have no right to call themselves nationalists.

One political school of thought is bent on discarding the real history of the nation, seeking to impose its own version on the people. This attempt must be resisted with strength.

Chaman Lal,
New Delhi

One of the best ways for a politician to become a known figure is to kick up a controversy. Mr. Shankaramurthy is the latest to join the bandwagon. Tipu Sultan fought British colonialism and contributed immensely to the development of the southern States. It is unbecoming of a Minister to demean a historic hero for cheap publicity.

The best way to negate the populist ambitions of politicians engaging in such gimmicks is to ignore their utterances and ensure that they are not elected again.

M.V. Devraj,
Bangalore

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