With just a few days remaining for the controversial Tipu Jayanti to be celebrated by the state government on November 10, more and more people have begun to protest against this.

Today members of the Veera Vanite, Onake Obavva and Horata Vedike along with support from the BJP and RSS protested at the Mysore Bank Circle. Many of the women came dressed in the attire of Onake Obavva and also held in their hands the Onake or pestle (a wooden long club meant for pounding paddy grains) that was used by Obavva to kill the soldiers of Hyder Ali.

Senior BJP leader and spokesperson Anwar Manipady lambasted CM Siddaramaiah who he claimed was doing this just to get the Muslim votes. 'They know very well that they are in a downhill situation and that is why they are holding Tipu Jayanti just to get their votes,' Manipady tells India Today.

Similarly, Rajesh Padmar, RSS spokesperson said his organization has been opposing Tipu Jayanti being conducted by the state government for a long time now. He termed it unfortunate that the government is observing this celebration for ruler who was both intolerant and controversial.

'It looks like the state government is behind vote bank politics,' he tells India Today on why CM Siddaramaiah wants to go ahead with Tipu Jayanti in spite of opposition by the people of Karnataka, political parties and social activists.

The Congress government had started celebrating Tipu's birth anniversary in 2015 terming the 18th century ruler of Mysore a freedom fighter, who got killed in 4th Anglo-Mysore war.

Even historians are a divided lot. Those who back Tipu talk about him fighting the British and his contributions to Hindu temples. Those who are against him refer to writings of British and Tipu's own commander while mentioning the killings of thousands of Hindus and Christians in Madikeri-Malabar region and the forced conversions that Tipu allegedly carried out.

With inputs from Divya Mekala