SP MP’s ‘Tipu gave women the right to cover breasts’ remark during debate sparks a row. Read what the facts say

Samajwadi Party MP Toofani Saroj made a statement in the special session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday, 30th April, which once again made it clear that the sole objective of his party is to defame Hindu history and Hinduism.

Toofani Saroj said, “Tipu Sultan gave women the right to cover their breasts. There was a law against covering breasts. This hasn’t been the case since ancient times. You should check it out.”

सपा MLA तूफानी सरोज सदन में बोले, महिलाओं को स्तन ढकने का अधिकार टीपू सुल्तान ने दिया था!@yadavakhilesh #TufaniSaroj #uttarpradeshpolitics #womenrights #TipuSultan #viral pic.twitter.com/t8XCkCKAGB

— India Voice UP (@IndiaVUP) April 30, 2026

This statement by the SP MP not only ignores historical facts but is also a part of a well-planned political strategy in which Muslim rulers are being presented before the public as ‘heroes’ by blaming Hindu kings and Hindu society.

Trying to tell the truth by shouting lies

Toofani Saroj’s claim is a half-truth presented in such a way that it becomes a complete lie. Yes, Tipu Sultan ordered women in Kerala to cover their breasts in public. But calling this a “right” is a historical dishonesty. It was a decree steeped in Sharia law, not an attempt at social reform.

In Kerala at that time, given its climate and cultural traditions, women, regardless of caste, did not wear upper garments. Even the 17th-century Dutch traveller William van Nieuhoff wrote in his memoirs that Queen Umayamma of Travancore herself only wore clothing below the waist, leaving the upper part uncovered.

This was a natural and accepted cultural tradition in the region. Tipu Sultan issued a decree, based on Islamic Sharia, to break this tradition. His intention was not to empower women, but rather, it was part of a policy.

Under this policy, he wanted to impose his Islamic values ​​in Malabar and Kodagu. Toofani Saroj misled the people by calling this decree a “grant of rights. “

Breast tax myths have been turned into political weapons

Behind this statement by Toofani Saroj and the Samajwadi Party lies the controversial history of the “breast tax,” or “Mulakkaram,” which has been repeatedly used as a weapon against the Travancore dynasty. Let’s understand the reality of this “tax.”

Mulakkaram literally means “breast tax,” but a large section of historians considers this name misleading. According to the renowned historian and author Manu Pillai, this tax was not related to women’s breasts, but rather to a gender-based census tax.

The tax on men was called “Talakkaram” (head tax), and the tax on women was called “Mulakkaram” (breast tax). This was merely a naming convention; the tax had no direct connection to breasts. It was a caste-based “poll tax” levied on communities such as Nadars and Ezhavas, along with other avarna (lower caste) communities.

The story of Nangeli is the most famous one regarding this tax. However, its historical authenticity remains in doubt. Several researchers have established that there is no contemporary historical documentation of Nangeli’s story. References to this story have emerged, particularly in the last two decades.

All sources in the Wikipedia article on Nangeli are recent, and there are no contemporary historical records. The person who popularised this story is a Malayali painter named ‘Chitrakaran’ T. Murali. His blog contains extremely negative views about Hindu gods and Hindu culture.

It is important to note that granting the right to wear upper garments and implementing Mulakkaram were two separate issues. They were conflated into a new narrative by propaganda media channels and politicians.

The Channar Rebellion (1813-1859) was for the right of Nadar women to wear upper garments, and Christian missionaries and the British government played a role in this struggle. It was a genuine social struggle.

Linking this to the story of ‘Breast Tax’ and calling the Hindu kings of Travancore villains is not history but the politics of leaders like Toofani Saroj of the Samajwadi Party.

Another fact that uproots this entire narrative is that in many tribes in Africa and the Indian subcontinent, women still do not wear upper garments. This is part of their cultural tradition, not evidence of any kind of oppression.

Kerala’s 18th- and 19th-century cultural traditions also fell into this category. Samajwadi Party leaders deliberately ignore this fact because their goal is not facts but anti-Hindu propaganda.

SP’s ‘hero’ Tipu Sultan is actually South India’s ‘villain’

Now let’s talk about Tipu Sultan, whom the Samajwadi Party and its leaders call a “great warrior.” Throughout South India, especially in Karnataka, Kerala, and Kodagu, a large community still remembers Tipu Sultan as a cruel and religious fanatic. 

The atrocities committed by Tipu Sultan against the Kodava tribe in Kodagu (Coorg) are recorded in history. In 1788, Tipu invaded Kodagu and burned entire villages.

According to his own court biographer, Mir Hussain Kirmani, many places were burned, including Kushalnagar, Talakaveri, and Madikeri. Tipu himself wrote in a letter to Ranmast Khan, the Nawab of Kurnool, that he had captured 40,000 Kodava people and converted them to Islam.

The Kodava Muslims who were forcibly converted are today known as “Kodava Mapplas,” and their surnames remain Hindu. This is the most telling evidence of the forced nature of their conversion.

Furthermore, Tipu’s army committed widespread atrocities against the Nair community in Malabar. Tipu ordered his army to burn every person in the district and forcibly convert them to Islam.

Nair temples were burned, Brahmin girls were abducted, and women were abused. Of the 30,000 Nair captives, only a few hundred returned alive.

Next, in Karnataka, the history of Melukote (Melukot) is the most poignant testimony to Tipu’s cruelty. On the day of Diwali, Tipu’s army surrounded 700 to 800 families of the Mandayam Iyengar Brahmin community.

When these people gathered at the temple for Diwali puja, Tipu’s soldiers massacred them. This included women and children. Melkote was devastated overnight and became a ghost town. Even today, 200 years later, the Mandayam Iyengar community does not celebrate Diwali. The grief of that massacre lives on.

Tipu Sultan’s atrocities didn’t stop at just Hindus. The Catholic Christians of Mangaluru also suffered his wrath. Father Paulinus, who lived in Kerala at the time, wrote in his book that Tipu’s army tied Hindus and Christians to the legs of elephants and dragged them, women were forcibly married to Muslims, and anyone who refused to convert to Islam was immediately executed.

Samajwadi Party’s agenda in question

SP MP Toofani Saroj forgot that Tipu Sultan implemented Sharia law in his kingdom. His government was called ‘Sarkar-e-Khudadad’. The question naturally arises: Does the Samajwadi Party advocate a similar regime in Uttar Pradesh?

Tipu Sultan, whom Akhilesh Yadav’s party is calling a ‘hero’, imposed Sharia on Hindus, forced conversions, and demolished temples. So, is this the ‘socialism’ that Akhilesh Yadav is dreaming of?

This is part of the SP’s tradition of turning every controversial issue in history into an anti-Hindu angle. Mulayam Singh Yadav has openly stated on several occasions that he ordered the firing on Ram devotees in Ayodhya, and that he is proud of it. This legacy is being carried forward by leaders like his son, Akhilesh Yadav and Toofani Saroj.

The Yogi government is exposing the double standards of the leftists

The Yogi government has attempted to uncover facts that leftist historians suppressed for decades. From the Ram Temple movement to the reassertion of Hindu cultural heritage, this government is honouring the history that parties like the Samajwadi Party seek to erase.

When a leader calls Tipu Sultan a “saviour of women” and, in the same breath, attempts to portray the Hindu kings of Travancore as oppressors, this isn’t just ignorance; it’s a well-planned political conspiracy. The Yogi government counters this conspiracy with facts.

The politics of false heroes must end

This character of the Samajwadi Party is nothing new. Whenever an issue arises, its leaders twist it into an attack on Hinduism and Hindu history. Akhilesh Yadav’s “socialist” politics consists solely of raising the controversial and unverified myth of the breast tax, portraying Tipu Sultan as a saviour, and demonising the Hindu kings of Travancore.

Whether Samajwadi Party leaders are educated or not, when they distort history and present it to the public, it impacts many sections of society. Therefore, it becomes essential to respond appropriately. The people of Uttar Pradesh are aware and recognise this false narrative.

Under the leadership of the Yogi government, Uttar Pradesh is on a path where history is respected, not false heroes, and this is the difference that is the real divide between the SP and the BJP.

(This article is a translation of the original article published on OpIndia Hindi.)