Tipu Sultan among ‘formidable soldiers’ from Karnataka : President Kovind

TIL Desk/National/Bengaluru/ While the BJP has opposed the state government’s plan to celebrate Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary, President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday hailed the 18th century ruler of Mysore as a “formidable soldier’’ from Karnataka who “died a heroic death”.

The President’s reference to Tipu Sultan came after he noted the contributions of “formidable soldiers” from Karnataka. “Karnataka is a land of formidable soldiers. Krishnadevaraya was the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara empire and remains an inspiration for all Indians.

Addressing a joint session of the Karnataka legislature to mark the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Vidhana Sabha — the state legislature building — the President said: “Tipu Sultan died a heroic death fighting the British. He was also a pioneer in the development and use of Mysore rockets in warfare. This technology was later adopted by the Europeans.”

Kempe Gowda was the founder of Bengaluru. Rani Chennamma of Kittur and Rani Abbakka led among the earliest battles against colonial powers,’’ he said. “More recently, two of our finest army chiefs, Field Marshal K M Cariappa and General K S Thimayya were sons of Karnataka,’’ said the President.