Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if it will ask President Ram Nath Kovind to resign for praising Tipu Sultan in 2017.

This comes after the Bajrang Dal and BJP protested against the decision by the Maharashtra government to ‘rename’ a sports facility and a park in Malvani after Tipu Sultan. They claim that the 18th-century ruler had prosecuted Hindus, so his name was unacceptable for a public facility, reported PTI.

“President Kovind went to Karnataka and praised Tipu Sultan that he was a historical warrior, freedom fighter. So, will you ask for the President’s resignation too? BJP should clarify this. This is drama,” Raut told reporters in Mumbai.

Also Read: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut ridicules PM Narendra Modi for not wearing mask

“BJP thinks that only they have history’s knowledge. Everyone’s sitting down to write a new history, these historians are here to change history. We know about Tipu Sultan, don’t need to learn from BJP,” he stated, according to news agency ANI.

“If they say it has been named after Tipu and that they will do this and that then they should let it be, saying all this doesn’t suit them. State Government is capable of making decisions. Don’t write a new history. You can continue trying to change history in Delhi but you won’t succeed,” he further added.

Also Read: Senior Congress leader RPN Singh quits, joins BJP ahead of UP elections

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said on Wednesday, “Tipu Sultan is historically known for committing atrocities against the Hindus in his state. The BJP will never accept the honouring of such personalities. The decision to name the garden after Tipu Sultan should be revoked.”

President Kovind had praised the 18th Century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and called him a ‘historical warrior’ and ‘freedom fighter’ in the Karnataka Assembly in 2017.

The sports ground is locally referred to as the Tipu Sultan ground and it was recently renovated.