No statue row please, Mr Sait!

The unveiling of the statue of Kempegowda near the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru has led Mysuru MLA Mr Tanveer Sait to propose installation of a statue of 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan. Sait’s proposal has, as expected, stirred a hornet’s nest as a bevy of Hindutva outfits are just waiting to pounce upon such controversies to polarize the electorate for the upcoming elections.

The proposal is both ill-advised and ill-timed. It should not be opposed merely for the communal mobilization it can trigger from forces known to be unfavourably disposed towards him, but also because it negates the persona of the historical warrior who fought against the colonial forces, laid down his life in the cause, and had least to do as a community leader.

A statute or a memorial for him can wait till the State, historians and the people of the State in general, begin to realise the folly of denying him a place in the state. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have experimented with several issues to communally polarize the people in the state in the recent past. But little success has come their way. In Hijab they had found a godsend opportunity.

The apex court has issued a split verdict and the issue may see arguments at a larger bench. Halal and eviction of Muslim vendors from around the temples came next. In between them, a mosque on the KSR Bengaluru City Railway Station platform provoked their ire but the officials of the South Western Railways proved that the temples within the precincts outnumbered the lone mosque.

Tipu Express had been a point of contention since long and a quick response—transformation into Wodeyer Express by the Railway Ministry—poured cold water on the controversy. Refusal to demand a ban on books portraying Tipu Sultan in negative light too has left their arsenal without much ammunition. The outfits are currently engaged in a tussle over a bus shelter with three domes in the heritage city of Mysuru.

There is no gainsaying that the incendiary potential they guessed the issue would trigger had nothing to do with the community they expected to react. It is pretty much clear that these controversies are not yielding the dividends that they expected. Statutes in public places do serve the purpose of celebrating the memories of the heroes and the leaders of yore. They would serve little purpose if a posse of cops have to guard them till eternity.

The statue of a legendary Tamil icon near Ulsoor Lake in the city stood wrapped for over a decade till the contending parties agreed to resolve the issue. It does not behove the stature of the former ruler to wade into such a controversy two hundred years after he departed from this mortal world.

If Mr. Sait’s intention is to erect a statue of an Islamic ruler, it must be made plain to him that Islam discourages erection of statues and sculpting of images of known figures. Peace and amity have little chance to prevail if friction and conflict are the end result of measures initiated to celebrate the memories of historical figures.