Bengaluru, Oct 23 (Agencies): Amid a heated debate on Tipu Sultan’s birthday celebrations, old photographs of former chief ministers and senior BJP leaders B S Yeddyurappa and Jagadish Shettar participating in programmes allegedly related to Tipu Sultan have gone viral on social media. The photo of Shettar shows him dressed as Tipu Sultan.

Former deputy chief minister R Ashoka and former Lok Sabha member D B Chandre Gowda are also seen wearing the headgear in the viral photos.

However, Shettar denied that the photo was from Tipu Jayanti celebrations. "It was from an award ceremony of the party's minority morcha, where we were given headgears and swords," he said.

BJP sources claimed that Yeddyurappa's photo was taken in 2010 at an Iftar party and had nothing to do with Tipu Sultan.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah has said Shettar had written a preface to a book praising the valour of Tipu. Shettar had called Tipu a patriot in a book written by historian Sheikh Ali.

"When Yeddyurappa was in KJP (Karnataka Janata Paksha), he had celebrated Tipu Jayanti and Shobha Karandlaje had also attended the event. Now why is Yeddyurappa opposing Tipu Jayanti? They (BJP) are opposing it for political reasons," Siddaramaiah said.

"These photographs are proof of the BJP's double standards and hypocrisy. The BJP leaders who had earlier praised Tipu Sultan are now criticizing him for political gains," he said.

The Siddaramaiah government has decided to celebrate Tipu Jayanti on November 10, when the BJP is planning to call a statewide protest against the 'minority appeasement' politics.

Many BJP leaders, including Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde, had refused to join the birthday celebrations of Tipu Sultan, terming him “anti-Hindu and anti-Kannada.”

BJP general secretary and MP Shobha Karandlaje said the party will launch a protest if the government goes ahead with the celebrations.

“There is no need to include the names of BJP leaders in the invitation on the pretext of following protocol. The government is spreading communal hatred by repeatedly organising Tipu Jayanti." Shobha said.

The Siddaramaiah government has decided to celebrate Tipu Jayanti on November 10, when the BJP is planning to call a statewide protest against the 'minority appeasement' politics.