After Karnataka, row over Tipu Sultan reaches Delhi Assembly

After Karnataka, a row over Tipu Sultan reached Delhi after the Mysuru ruler's portrait was unveiled at Delhi Assembly along with 69 other national heroes who worked for nation building and freedom.

Like in the southern state, BJP rose in revolt against the portrait of Tipu Sultan saying controversial figures should be kept out while Delhi Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and AAP defended it saying his portrait is featured in the Constitution.

Last November, Karnataka witnessed violent protests by BJP and Hindutva organisations (who claimed that Tipu Sultan was anti-Hindu) against Congress-led Karnataka government's plans to celebrate his birth anniversary. With elections in Karnataka fast approaching, BJP is keen to use Congress' support for Tipu Sultan as one of its campaign plank to consolidate Hindu votes.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal unveiled portraits by artist Guru Darshan Singh Binkal of 70 people -- from Bhagat Singh, Ashfaqulla Khan, Birsa Munda, Rani Chennamma to Subhas Chandra Bose -- at the Assembly on Republic Day.

BJP MLAs O P Sharma and Manjinder Singh Sirsa have opposed the move saying, it was not proper to celebrate a controversial hero among other freedom fighters and revolutionaries. While Sharma wanted that no controversial personality should be there, Singh echoed his colleague and asked why a non-Delhiite who has not contributed to the city be celebrated like this.

Speaker Goel countered them saying BJP leaders "always try to create controversy" on any issue. "I want to tell them that the Constitution of India also carries a picture of Tipu Sultan on its page number 144. So, either the people who fought British to free the country and wrote this Constitution were traitors or BJP is," he said.

AAP leaders claimed that they had asked BJP to suggest names from either their party or the RSS who had worked for country's freedom but they did not provide any names.