After Maharashtra government decides to rename Mumbai's Tipu Sultan Maidan; Opposition hits back

Mumbai: The debate over the legacy of Tipu Sultan of Mysuru shifted from Karnataka to Maharashtra, after the Shinde-Fadnavis government decided to rename a ground named after the 18th-century ruler. This is the reversal of a former order by the MVA government under Uddhav Thackeray.

Mumbai's guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the guardian minister of Mumbai, had written to the District Collector asking for the renaming of the ground-cum sports complex.

"Finally, victory of the Right! Ordered removal of name Tipu Sultan from the park in Malad after considering protests by Sakal Hindu Samaj and demands by BJP MP Gopal Shetty," Lodha was quoted as saying by IANS.

"The order was implemented in a peaceful manner without any police deployment. The locals, too, extended their full cooperation," ANI reported him as saying.

Several people who supported the name change arrived before the 'Maidan' following the decision. The government is yet to reveal what the new name of the sports complex will be.

After the decision to rename the Tipu Sultan Maidan in Mumbai's Malad was announced, the Opposition slammed it for focusing on frivolous matters instead of addressing the major issues. With nothing to woo the voters ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the NDA has switched to the name-changing strategy, they claimed.

"Shinde government seems struggling to perform well in the ensuing BMC elections. Changing names has become a routine job. Changing names is worthless. The government is taking such sensitive decisions to divert the attention of the youth of Maharashtra, who have been asking for employment opportunities which the illegal and unconstitutional government is failing to provide," members of the Maharashtra opposition alleged.

The former MVA Minister Aslam Shaikh had revamped the park, including many amenities and sports facilities for the locals and it was named 'Shaheed Tipu Sultan Playground' in January 2022, ahead of the BMC elections, which got postponed.

Tipu Sultan has been a polarising figure in modern Indian politics. While the BJP-led NDA diminish his status to that of an anti-Hindu tyrant, several Opposition parties worship him as a hero who fought the British to his last breath and hail his valour.