Known as the Scotland of India, Kodagu has an old world charm, and the people are known for their warm and welcoming nature. As we drive into Madikeri, considered the district headquarters, the lush green rainforests dotted with coffee and spice plantations, the vibrant Kodava community, and the river Kaveri running through the region demonstrate true tradition and vibrancy.
News18 traveled down the winding road of beauty towards Madikeri to talk to people in the land of coffee about what is going on in this election and campaigning in the land of coffee.
In the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party fought its electoral battle on emotive issues such as Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudangiri Swamy Dargah, hijab and Tipu Sultan in the Malnad region, which includes Kodagu, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru. With this, the party won six out of seven seats here.
This time, the Tipu issue raised its head once again as Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel launched the campaign saying that the 2023 elections would be fought on the basis of Tipu Sultan vs Savarkar. Kodagu also has links with the 17th century leader and continues to haunt Tipu Sultan two centuries after his death.
But is it an election issue in Kodagu this time, after witnessing violent clashes in 2015 and tense moments every election year?
“Yes. The moment BJP leaders talked about the issue of Tipu and Tipu Jayanti, we agreed that this should be a topic that the new generation should know before voting. They should know about the tyrant who killed our Ancestors were tortured and murdered. Monappa P, a coffee planter living in Virajpet, said, “Every grain of soil is soaked with the blood of Kodava who faced Tipu’s wrath.”
According to historical reports, Tipu Sultan invaded Kodagu in 1788 and ravaged the villages and towns in the region, burning settlements and forcing people to convert to Islam. Tipu’s courtier and biographer Mir Hussain Kirmani documented how the Sultan bragged about taking 40,000 Coorgis as hostages and forcibly converting them to Islam so that they could join his army. The Kodavas are known for their valor and fighting skills.
Bharat, a resident of Kushalnagar, points out that although Tipu is not topmost in people’s minds as an election issue, it will definitely be on their minds when they vote.
“The issue of Tipu Jayanti was raised by political parties for their political interests. Did the common man ask to celebrate Tipu Jayanti? No, if the Muslims don’t want to, then why should the parties raise it? The people of Kodagu want development, good roads and lights, not Tipu bringing darkness into their lives.
Devastated by floods, faced with deforestation and fluctuating coffee prices, people appeal for solutions to these problems instead of raising communal issues like Tipu.
Another voter from Madikeri, Balakrishna, says he has been told that if the Congress comes to power, it will revive Tipu Jayanti and it will be an insult to the people of Kodagu.
He told News18, “The BJP has done right by trying to erase the bloody past and Tipu from textbooks and other references because it only hurts.”
However, voters like Uma, who sells woven baskets and handmade bamboo products in Basavanahalli (Madikeri), say that one should not focus on Tipu, who is a political issue, but on the parties that campaign. Is doing. She says that Congress, Janata Dal (Secular) and BJP should fulfill their promises of providing better opportunities to women, removing unemployment and reducing inflation.
“Let them reduce the LPG prices. Whoever comes to power let him work for the underprivileged communities and give them better livelihood. As a woman, I know how much we struggle to run our households with low earnings and heavy taxes. As voters, we responsibly cast our vote in favor of a party that we hope will deliver on the promises of a better life. Please don’t cheat us and waste our vote,” she appealed.
The Malnad region of Karnataka, which includes Kodagu, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru, is different from the rest of Karnataka as the BJP has an upper hand here. As a leader points out, Karnataka’s first BJP president A.K. Subbaiah hailed from Kodagu district and the party has steadily expanded its base since then.
Early last year, when Leader of the Opposition and former chief minister Siddaramaiah arrived in Kodagu to assess the floods, he faced stiff resistance from local BJP workers. They waved black flags and pictures of Hindu ideologue VD Savarkar, while chanting “Go back, Siddaramaiah”. He even threw Savarkar’s photograph from the window of the vehicle. Tipu Jayanti as an official function on 10 November 2015. Two people had lost their lives in Madikeri in violent clashes. Since then the region has been on alert every time the Tipu issue raised its head.
Kodagu will see electoral heat on April 29 as Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Madikeri and appeal to voters to continue supporting the BJP and help the party retain power.
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