The need for renaming of Tipu Expressn, which plies between Mysuru and Bengaluru, as Wodeyar Express was questioned by many in Mysuru on Saturday.
While JD(S) leader K.V. Mallesh said the removal Tipu’s name from the train by the BJP “in an effort to isolate the Muslim community” tantamounts to showing disrespect to the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru, whose ancestors had strived to establish equality among different communitiies in the society.
He described the removal of the the name of an “achiever” like Tipu Sultan as a “petty” and “shameful” act. However, he said Tipu’s name cannot be removed from the minds of the people or the history books by merely erasing it from the train.
The Railway Board had issued a notification renaming Tipu Express as Wodeyar Express after Mysuru MP Pratap Simha wrote a letter to Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Congress MLC Thimmaiah too condemned the renaming of Tipu Express and said the government should have instead named a different train after Wodeyar.
Wondering if the BJP considered the renaming of the train named as an achievement, Mr .Thimmaiah said the saffron party was only sowing the seeds of differences among different communities to create trouble in the society.
BJP MLC A.H. Vishwanath said he would not oppose the renaming of the train after Wodeyar, but hailed the 18 th century warrior king’s contribution and said it was not possible to erase the name of Tipu Sultan from the minds of the people.
Similiarly, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy there were several problems that were demanding the attention of the Mysuru MP, who was hankering after publicity by renaming the traini
Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Mysuru MP should instead be attending to the problems of the poor people in Hunsur and Periyapatna, who had lost their houses and crops in the recent floods.
SDPI State President Abdul Majeed said the government was incapable of any development through its work. “But, they leave no stone unturned to polarise people further.”
EoM
