'Ram' Inscription On Tipu Sultan's Ring? Owaisi Steps Into Rising Political Row

New Delhi: After Maharashtra Congress unit president Harshwardhan Sapkal's sparked controversy by comparing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Tipu Sultan, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi defended his remarks which were slammed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. 

What is the controversy about?

Harshwardhan Sapkal on Saturday compared Tipu Sultan to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, claiming Tipu Sultan belonged "to the same league of valour", after a portrait of Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan was put up in the office of the newly-elected deputy mayor Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed and later removed by the civic administration on Saturday.

The state Congress unit president, while replying to the question regarding the controversy said, "He (Tipu Sultan) waged a war against the British and was a brave warrior. He was a son of the soil. He never entertained poisonous or divisive thoughts. We should view Tipu Sultan as an equal to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a symbol of bravery."

What did Fadnavis say?

Devendra Fadnavis said the comparison was "unacceptable" and the Congress politician should be "ashamed".

Fadnavis called the comparison between Tipu Sultan and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was "unacceptable" and the Congress "should be ashamed".

The state Chief Minister said that, "Congress should be ashamed of equating the founder of Hindavi Swarajya with Tipu Sultan, who butchered 1,000s of Hindus." 

"Maharashtra will not tolerate this. If there is even a little integrity left in Congress politicians, they must clarify their stand. Their allies should also make their position clear," he said.

Did Sapkal gave justification?

Later in a post on X, Sapkal said the valour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is unparalleled, while Tipu Sultan was valiant and a lover of Swarajya. 

"It was by taking Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as an ideal that he (Tipu Sultan) fought against the British," Sapkal said.

Harshwardhan Sapkal also claimed that those following the ideology of the Sangh-BJP were slaves and spies of the British while Tipu Sultan was fighting the foreign rulers.

"Therefore, Devendra Fadnavis should not get into the pretence of teaching us history. The people of Maharashtra have not forgotten what all BJP-RSS, (former governor) Bhagatsingh Koshyari, along with others, spewed against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and how they disrespected him," Sapkal said.

What did Owaisi say?

Owaisi jumped into the controversy, backing Sapkal and firing back at BJP leaders. He described Tipu Sultan as someone who fought the British and stood against colonial rule. He also claimed that a ring once belonging to Tipu had the name "Ram" inscribed on it — a point he said should silence critics of Tipu’s legacy. 

Owaisi said that "Tipu Sultan was martyred while fighting the British. Tipu did not write love letters to the British, as Veer Savarkar did."

AIMIM chief also cited reference of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s book Wings of Fire, saying that, "Is it a lie that APJ Abdul Kalam wrote in his book 'Wings of Fire' that whatever missile technology and rocket technology India has today, we are fulfilling Tipu's dreams? Gandhi wrote in his Young India magazine that Tipu Sultan is an example of Hindu-Muslim unity."