MANDYA: Adichunchanagiri Mutt seer Nirmalanandanatha Swami on Monday sought to put a lid on the controversy over making a film on Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, the duo who the BJP claimed had killed Tipu Sultan, by suggesting that there should be no further public discussion on the issue. He also hoped that those who had been raising the issue will refrain from talking about it.
While the BJP has been claiming that Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda were the ones who killed Tipu Sultan, and not the British, the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) had maintained that there was no historical evidence to it. BJP minister Munirathna, who is also a film producer had even applied to the film chamber to register the title of a movie based on the names of the two. After the issue snowballed, he said he will consult the Adichunchanagiri seer on the issue.
Swami Nirmalanandanatha Swami, who met Munirathna at Kommeranahalli, said, “There is much debate on Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda which is causing confusion. After I came to know that minister Munirathna was making a movie based on the duo, I called him for a discussion and I suggested that it would not be right to make a movie since there is not much clarity on historical facts. It is not right to make a movie based on one community and Munirathna has said that it was not his intention to hurt any community and that he will not make any such movie”.
The seer further said that there are more pressing issues that need to be addressed in the state. “I have advised all those who were speaking about the issue, including C T Ravi, Dr C N Ashwath Narayan and Gopalaiah, not to discus about the issue and I hope they will heed my advice. So far, no evidence has been found to establish that Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda killed Tipu Sultan and the youths should not be misled”, he added.
Minister Munirathna said that he had planned the muhurat of the film, to be based on the Mysore royal family and Tipu Sultan, on May 14. “I hadn’t thought about it till H D Kumaraswamy said that Dr Ashwath Narayan had asked me to make the movie. After discussing with the seer, I feel that the sentiments of no community should be hurt and I am dropping the plan. It is not because I am in the BJP that I was planning to make the movie. I have given my word to the seer that I will not make the movie”, he added.
Reacting to the development in Bengaluru, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said they will go by the advice of the Adichunchanagiri Mutt seer.