Addanda C Cariappa, the director of the Karnataka government-run theatre institution Rangayana, resigned on Sunday citing the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Assembly elections, The News Minute reported.

On May 13, the Congress scored a decisive victory over the BJP in Karnataka, winning 135 of the 224 seats. The results marked the biggest win by a party in the state since 1989 – both in terms of number of seats and vote share. The BJP’s loss also meant that it is no longer in power in any of the states in south India.

“The government which had appointed me as the director of Rangayana has lost the election,” Cariappa wrote in his resignation letter on Sunday. “I will respect people’s mandate, and by taking moral responsibility, I am resigning from the director’s post.”

Cariappa was appointed as director at Rangayana in December 2019 and has been embroiled in several controversies during his tenure.

In November, Cariappa wrote a play in which he claimed that two Vokkaliga chieftains – Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda – killed Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan. According to the historical record, the Mysuru king was killed by the British.

The BJP attempted to leverage the claims made by Cariappa to gain a foothold among the Vokkaligas. However, several historians raised doubts about the existence of Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda.

Initially, Cariappa asserted that he has substantial documents to prove his claims but later admitted that the two characters were fictional, according to The Indian Express. A book was also published based on Caraippa’s play.

Also read: Gurjar queens, Vokkaliga warriors: How BJP is inventing history for a new Hindutva caste politics

Ahead of the Assembly elections, Caraippa had campaigned for BJP MLAs KG Bopaiah and Appachu Ranjan in Kodagu district – both of whom lost eventually.

In one such campaign event, he had said: “Voting for the BJP is equal to Kashi Yatra. Voting for the Congress is equal to giving in to rapists and pimps.”

Three cases were filed against him for the remarks. He has also been a vocal critic of Congress leader Siddaramaiah, according to The News Minute.

On Sunday, Caraippa said that Rangayana’s popularity during his tenure spread globally.

“I also improved the financial condition of the cash-strapped theatre repertory,” he said. “Due to my efforts, Rangayana has a deposit of Rs 2.09 crore and Rs 1.57 crore in a savings account in the bank.”