Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde's comments have often led to controversies. (FILE)
Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde's comments have often led to controversies; the latest being at a public event in Karnataka's Kodagu district on Sunday where Mr Hegde said, "We have to rethink about priorities of our society. We shouldn't think of caste. If a Hindu girl is touched by a hand, then that hand should not exist." Standing in front of a large crowd on a podium, he continued: "Taj Mahal was not built by Muslims... Tejo Mahalaya became Taj Mahal. If we keep sleeping, most of our houses also will be named manzil. In future, Lord Ram will be called jahanpana and Sita will become bibi." Mr Hegde's latest comments add to a long list of controversies that the union minister had raked up. On January 2, he had termed the Kerala government's handling of the Sabarimala row as the "daylight rape" of Hindus. Politicians and leaders have slammed Mr Hegde for his comments.
Here are the LIVE UPDATES of political reactions after Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde's statements:
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also demanded an apology from Anantkumar Hegde over his distasteful comments on Congress' Dinesh Gundu Rao. Alleging that Mr Hegde was not fit to be a parliamentarian, Mr Siddaramaiah demanded his resignation.
Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his minister's controversial remarks on who built the Taj Mahal to how to keep "Hindu girls" safe. Sarcastically calling out PM Modi as "Mr
Saaf Niyat", Mr Siddaramaiah demanded action against Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde. "Instead of preaching about '
Saaf Niyat, Sahi Vikas', take appropriate action against your minister Anantkumar Hegde and teach him what actual '
Sahi Vikas' is," Mr Siddaramaiah directed his tweet to PM Modi.
President of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen Party Asaduddin Owaisi slammed Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde over his comments on how to keep "Hindu girls" safe. Mr Owaisi quickly pointed out that the only "skill development" that the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship could provide was to ask people to "kill". "The only Skill Development this Minister (Mr Hegde) has done is ask people to chop hands, kill people, etc," Mr Owaisi tweeted. Mr Owaisi claimed that Hyderabad, also his constituency, was a symbol of Muslim contribution. "It has seen thousands of Hegdes come and go. It will see another thousand," Mr Owaisi slammed the Union minister.
Priyank Kharge, a Congress leader and a minister in the Karnataka cabinet, took to Twitter to attack Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde over his bizarre comments. "I think the reason Mr Anantkumar Hegde makes hate speeches is to cover up for his failure as a minister for skills and entrepreneurship. People end up discussing the hate speech rather than his performance as a minister," he tweeted.
A lawmaker in Bengaluru slammed Anantkumar Hegde on the micro-blogging site Twitter, calling the Union minister "shameful, bigoted and disgraceful". "Dear people of our Karnataka and our country, India: this is your union minister and member of Parliament who WE ALL ELECTED.When asked about this accomplishments and what he has done for people WHO VOTED FOR HIM. Shameful.Bigoted and disgraceful," Sowmya Reddy, MLA of Karnataka's Jayanagar constituency, tweeted.
Last year, Anantkumar Hegde had described Dalit protesters who waylaid his convoy en route to a job fair in Karnataka's Ballari as "
dogs barking on the road". A few months later, he compared the opposition to "crows, monkeys, foxes and others" that had come together to fight the "tiger" that's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Anantkumar Hegde, a senior Karnataka leader of the BJP, has been a non-stop source of provocative remarks that didn't pause even after he joined the central government in 2017. Earlier this month, he termed the Kerala government's handling of the Sabarimala row as "
daylight rape" of Hindus, crossing yet another dubious milestone in a political career studded with controversies.
In Bengaluru, Congress' Ajay Singh told news agency ANI: "Why is he (Anantkumar Hegde) talking about a Hindu girl? We are secular country and we have to look after every girl." He also accused Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde of polarising the society for votes. "People will teach a good lesson to the Modi government in coming Lok Sabha elections," Mr Singh said.
"It's very sad that he (Anantkumar Hegde) talks like this. It's a very sad reflection on the type of people who hold top positions in this government. He always uses provocative language. That's probably what his party asks him to do," Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao was quoted by news agency ANI. "It's demeaning not only of himself but also his office. I hope BJP leaders tell him and advise him to not speak like this," Mr Rao added.
After Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao condemned the comments by Anantkumar Hegde, the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship dragged his Muslim wife into a Twitter spat. "Wht are ur achievements after becoming a Union Minister or as MP? Wht are ur contributions for Karnataka's development? All I can say for sure, it's deplorable tht such people have become ministers & have managed to get elected as MP's," Mr Rao had tweeted. Mr Hegde's response was a vicious attack referring to Mr Rao's wife Tabu Rao: "I shall definitely answer this guy @dineshgrao's queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady."