'Kannada or Persian? Siddaramaiah should clarify'

Taking a dig at Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah for supporting Tipu Sultan, who had made Persian as administrative language, Tourism Minister C T Ravi on Monday sought clarification from the Congress leader if he was for Kannada or Persian.

Speaking to reporters here, the minister said, "The first 11 years of Tipu's rule was filled with brutalities. Persian was made official administrative language, hundreds Kodavas and Christians were massacred, descendants of Madakari Nayaka murdered... Kannada language would have been relegated into history, if his rule had continued for a few more years."

During Tipu's rule, many temples were vandalised. Anjaneya Swamy Temple of Mudalubagil was converted into a mosque. Let Siddaramaiah get the structure excavated. He would get to see the remnants of the temple, he said.

Saying that a section of society has made Tipu a hero by highlighting one side of his story, the minister called for a proper debate on Tipu.