Tipu row: Hariprasad brands BJP’s ‘ancestors’ British bootlickers

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Congress MLA BK Hariprasad intensified the controversy surrounding 18th century monarch Tipu Sultan on Sunday by labeling the BJP and the larger Sangh Parivar “bootlickers of the British”.

“Tipu Sultan is not associated with the Congress. The Congress is in favour of those who waged a struggle against the British. Moreover, we are against those who had been in favour of the British. Those who are claiming that Tipu Sultan is associated with our party had been licking the boots of the British. We need not learn from them,” Hariprasad said.

“None of BJP’s predecessors had been associated with the freedom struggle. There were some six to seven lakh people who participated in the struggle and made sacrifices. Let this Hindutva party one of their own among them. They won’t be able to. They were all bootlickers of the British. They shouldn’t be teaching us,” he added.

Hariprasad continued his tirade against the BJP, slamming the saffron party for their opposition to the proposed lifting of the ban on hijab in educational institutions.

“Bharatiya Janata Party people are the followers of Godse. We can’t expect anything from them. Hijab and burkha are very different from each other. Hijab is just something (women) students in schools and colleges use to cover their head and chest. Burkha is something that covers everything. We will go by the Supreme Court’s order,” he said.

The MLC also slammed the BJP’s opposition to the caste census. These statements had saffron party leaders in the state fuming. BJP state president BY Vijayendra “condemned” Hariprasad’s comments.

“As the BJP state president, I would firstly like to condemn BK Hariprasad’s malevolent comments. The BJP workers will answer your remarks by wiping out the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said, adding that the Congress was “intoxicated” with power since they formed the government in the state.