Wayanad (Kerala): Kerala BJP president K Surendran, who is running for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, sparked controversy by saying that if elected his top priority would be to rename Sulthan Bathery town to Ganapathyvattam.

“The renaming of Sulthan Bathery is inevitable. The name Sulthan Bathery emerged as part of [Tipu Sultan’s] invasion. The place is Ganapathyvattam. Congress and CPI(M) want the place to be known after a criminal,” Surendran said on Thursday, reiterating a remark he made while speaking to a TV channel, reported Indian Express.

“Sulthan Bathery should be renamed as Ganapathyvattam. It is not the land of Tipu Sultan who massacred Hindus and Christians,” Surendran had said.

Sulthan Bathery, one of the three municipal towns in Wayanad, is the location of a Ganapati temple formerly referred to as Ganapathyvattam.

The town acquired its current name after Tipu Sultan's invasion of the Malabar region in the latter half of the 1700s. Tipu Sultan's forces used Ganapathyvattam as an artillery battery, leading to the town being recorded as 'Sultan's Battery' in British documents.

According to the Indian Express, Kerala Congress vice-president and legislator from Kalpetta in Wayanad T Siddique said, “Surendran is free to say anything as he is not going to win from Wayanad. It is only to win attention.”

Surendran will be contesting against the incumbent MP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, as well as CPI national leader Annie Raja, in the Wayanad constituency.

The Lok Sabha elections in Kerala are scheduled for April 26.