Nearly 1,000 kilometres away from the kingdom he once ruled, Tipu Sultan has once again become the focal point of a high voltage political battle in Maharashtra. What began as the display of his portrait in the office of Malegaon’s deputy mayor has snowballed into a statewide confrontation, drawing in Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and a police case against Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal.
At the heart of the controversy is Sapkal’s comparison of Tipu Sultan with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. But this is not an isolated episode. Over the past several years, Tipu Sultan has repeatedly surfaced in political disputes in Mumbai, Malegaon and parts of north Maharashtra, particularly in communally sensitive urban pockets.
What has happened now?
The immediate trigger was the display of Tipu Sultan’s portrait in the office of the newly elected deputy mayor in Malegaon. After protests by Shiv Sena leaders, the civic administration removed the portrait, citing that Tipu Sultan is not on the state government’s official protocol list of leaders whose portraits may be displayed in government offices.
The controversy escalated when Sapkal described Tipu Sultan as a brave warrior who fought the British and said he should be viewed on par with Shivaji Maharaj as a symbol of valour. Fadnavis termed the comparison unacceptable and accused the Congress of distorting history.
Fadnavis called the comparison unacceptable. Congress “should be ashamed of equating the founder of Hindavi Swarajya with Tipu Sultan, who butchered 1,000s of Hindus,” he said. “Maharashtra will not tolerate this. If there is even a little integrity left in Congress politicians, they must clarify their stand. Their allies should also make their position clear,” he said, referring to Shiv Sena UBT and NCP SP in the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.
Why does Tipu Sultan evoke such strong reactions in Maharashtra?
Although Tipu Sultan ruled the Kingdom of Mysore, nearly 1,000 km away, he has become a symbolic figure in Maharashtra’s political discourse for several reasons. Supporters project Tipu Sultan as an anti colonial ruler who resisted the British East India Company and died in battle in 1799. Critics, especially from Hindutva groups, portray him as a religious persecutor and argue that equating him with Shivaji Maharaj is an affront to Maharashtra’s legacy. In Maharashtra, Shivaji Maharaj occupies a central and near sacred place in public memory. Any perceived comparison between Shivaji and other rulers often triggers sharp political responses.
Tipu as a symbol of Muslim political assertion
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In large parts of Mumbai’s suburbs such as Malwani and Govandi, and in parts of Marathwada and other areas with a high Muslim population, Tipu Sultan has in recent years become a symbol used by sections of Muslim youth to assert historical identity and political presence.
Since the rise of parties such as All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen in Maharashtra after 2014, posters and public references to Tipu Sultan have increased in some areas. Local leaders say these are meant to highlight Muslim contributions to Indian history.
“For many young Muslims who feel politically marginalised today, invoking a strong historical ruler such as Tipu Sultan serves as a counter narrative to stereotypes of victimhood. Many historians describe him as a ruler who resisted the British, and that image carries symbolic weight. Highlighting a figure like Tipu is also a way of asserting that Muslims have played a significant role in India’s history. It becomes a means of claiming visibility and space within the larger national story when Muslims feel that they are increasingly being pushed to the margins of its polity,” said Irfan Shaikh, a social activist and community worker from Nashik.
Is this the first such controversy in Maharashtra?
No. Tipu Sultan has been at the centre of multiple political flashpoints in the state.
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In 2022, a controversy erupted in Malwani in Mumbai’s Malad area over a playground locally referred to as Tipu Sultan Ground. Then cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh inaugurated renovation work at the ground. The BJP alleged it was an attempt to officially rename the facility after Tipu Sultan. Shaikh denied any formal renaming and said the ground had long been known by that name locally.
The protest saw BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal workers gathering in large numbers, and police detained several protesters.
In 2021, a Samajwadi Party corporator proposed naming a garden after Tipu Sultan in Govandi, triggering objections from right wing groups.
There are also roads in Mumbai named after Tipu Sultan, including in Andheri and Govandi, some dating back to periods when the Shiv Sena BJP coalition controlled the civic body. This has been cited by Congress leaders to argue that the opposition’s stance has shifted over time.
