A controversy erupted in Indian state of Maharashtra’s Malegaon after a portrait of 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan was displayed in the office of Deputy Mayor Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed, drawing criticism from the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and protests by Shiv Sena supporters.The row intensified after BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed the deputy mayor in a social media post, alleging that the display of Tipu Sultan’s image while omitting portraits of national leaders was an insult to India’s icons.

 “Deputy Mayor of Malegaon… has put up a photo of Hindu hater Tipu Sultan, but images of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar are missing… Huge insult to our real heroes," Poonawalla said. He further said that the constitution had allowed her to hold public office, adding, “The constitution gave you the opportunity of becoming Deputy Mayor… its architect was Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. But she has no respect for Sanvidhan."

 Targeting opposition parties, he alleged that “AIMIM wants to paint Maharashtra green" and accused political rivals of prioritising vote-bank politics over constitutional values, saying, “This is what happens when you put Votebank first, not Sanvidan first." Meanwhile, Shiv Sena supporters led by group leader Nilesh Aher protested against the portrait and submitted a petition to the municipal commissioner seeking its removal. The protest triggered a war of words between the Hindu extremists and the deputy mayor. 

Aher said the party would continue its agitation until the portrait was taken down. Responding to the controversy, Deputy Mayor Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed defended the display and questioned why the issue was being politicised. “This photo has been put up. When it comes to repairing the photo, it can be removed so that it doesn’t break. But after that, we will put it up according to our thoughts. I don’t understand why you are making an issue out of a photo," she said. 

She added that she had read about legal disputes concerning Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations, referring to cases filed in the Bombay High Court where police permissions were not granted. Defending the historical figure, Ahmed said, “Tipu Sultan is the freedom fighter of India, and everyone agrees with that. Not only India, but Britain also praised him when he fought against the East India Company."

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)