New Delhi: History is often complicated and politics of the day very often indulges in “cherry-picking facts” which has also happened in the case of Tipu Sultan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at an event. He observed that a the former Mysuru King was a ‘complex figure’, a ‘particular narrative’ about him was promoted over the years.
Addressing the gathering at the launch of the book titled, ‘’Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore Interregnum 1761-1799′ the minister observed that there are some basic questions that the country faces today as to how our past was “airbrushed”, and how facts changed as per the convenience of the regime.
‘Changes encouraged emergence of alternative views’
“In the last decade, the changes in our political dispensation have encouraged the emergence of alternative perspectives and balanced accounts.” “We are no longer prisoners of a vote bank, nor is it politically incorrect to bring out inconvenient truths. There are many more subjects on which the same degree of objectivity is needed,” he added, as per news agency PTI.
He added, “On one hand, he has a reputation as a key figure who resisted the imposition of British colonial control over India. It is a fact that his defeat and death can be considered a turning point when it came to the fate of peninsular India. At the same time, he evokes strong adverse sentiments, even today, in many regions, by some in Mysore itself, in Coorg and Malabar.”
Tipu Sultan was consistently anti-British: S Jaishankar
Pointing out on how Tipu Sultan was consistently anti-British, the minister observed how much of the same was inherent and how much was due to Britishers’ joining hands with his local rivals, which is tough to differentiate.
Touching upon, Tipu Sultan’s foreign policy, he added that at various points the former Mysuru reached out to Turkey, Afghanistan, and Persian rulers for faith-based support. Jaishankar further noted that “the sense of nationhood “was simply not there then” perhaps.
