Thousands of enthusiasts participate in the Tipu Jayanti fete outside Vidhana Soudha on Friday

BENGALURU: In an embarrassment to BJP leaders who were vehemently opposing the Tipu Jayanti fete , three BJP MLAs and some second-rung leaders participated in the celebrations held across Karnataka on Friday, defying the party line.

While former minister and BJP MLA from Vijayanagara (Ballari) Anand Singh chose to participate in the government held event at Ballari, Shahapur MLA Guru Patil not only attended the celebrations but also praised the 18th century ruler. Singh, who arrived at the event organized at Hosapete draped in a shawl with tiger stripes, spoke in Urdu.

“There have been protests against Tipu Jayanti organized by the government and even our party is against it. But I am not a politician who will get into such a controversy. As a human being, I will rush to offer help to anyone, irrespective of community,” Singh said.

In Bengaluru, Bommanahalli MLA Satish Reddy had his photograph featured on flexes made for the event. When asked, he told electronic media that he has no qualms extending his support to such events, though he would strictly abide by the party’s stand.

He later blamed the Congress for allegedly putting up his photograph featuring him wearing a skull cap and extending his wishes to Tipu Jayanti celebrations. Following media reports, the BJP issued a showcause notice to Singh but absolved Patil and Reddy after they did a U-turn.

Leader of the opposition Jagadish Shettar said “strict action” will be taken against those leaders for not following the party diktat. Sources in the BJP said the three MLAs participated in Tipu Jayanti with an eye on the huge chunk of Muslim voters in their respective constituencies.

PROTESTS, ARRESTS ACROSS STATE

Numerous protesters were arrested and incidents of stone-pelting were reported in some parts of the state. In Kodagu, the bandh against the fete was observed while in Srirangapatna, which marked the rule.

