Karnataka BJP leader Appachu Ranjan said Tipu Sultan looted temples and forced conversions.
After a BJP MLA in Karnataka said lessons on the 18th century ruler of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom Tipu Sultan must be removed from textbooks, a descendant of the king said that it is shameful that he being targeted for vote bank politics.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Md Shahid Alam said, "History can never be deleted. Tipu Sultan was a freedom fighter. I will write a letter to the Prime Minister regarding this."
"Some people are playing vote bank politics which is quite shameful. People cannot deny that he was a freedom fighter. History is like this and will remain so in future," he added.
On Wednesday, Karnataka BJP leader Appachu Ranjan wrote to Education Minister S Suresh Kumar asking for Tipu Sultan's reference to be struck off history textbooks.
In a letter, Mr Ranjan wrote that Tipu Sultan has been portrayed as a freedom fighter and history should not be written with false facts.
"Tipu came to Kodagu, Mangaluru and other parts of the state to expand his territory. He came here just to convert people to his religion and to expand his kingdom," he said.
He added that king had no respect for Kannada as his administrative language was Persian. "He changed names of places. He looted many temples and Christian churches as well. In Kodagu, he converted 30 thousand Kodavas," Mr Ranjan wrote in his letter.