Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan died glorious death fighting British, says President Kovind

Amidst the raging debate on Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan's legacy, President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday hailed his role in fighting the British and development of Mysore rockets in warfare. President Kovind said 18th Century ruler of Mysore died a glorious death while fighting the British and termed him a hero. Known as the ‘Tiger of Mysore’, Tipu Sultan ruled the Mysore kingdom from 1782-1799 succeeding his father Haider Ali.

President said Tipu Sultan was a pioneer in the development of Mysore rockets and this technology was later adopted by the Europeans. President was addressing a joint session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on Wednesday. 

Majority of the legislators broke into loud applause when President spoke of the contributions of former Mysore and Karnataka rulers, soldiers, politicians and scientists in the growth of the state and the country. 

The President's statements on Tipu Sultan become significant as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anantkumar Hegde who happens to be Union Minister too, had called Tipu a "brutal Killer", wretched fanatic and mass rapist. Hedge made the statements ahead of the STate's Tipu Jayanti Celebrations to mark the erstwhile ruler’s birth anniversary on November 10.

Since 2015, Congress has been celebrating Tipu's birth anniversary in the state. The BJP opposes the celebrations as they consider Tipu “anti-Hindu and anti-Kannada”.