In yet another highly controversial statement, Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde on Sunday, 27 January, said: “the hand that touches a Hindu woman must not exist”.
In a video posted by ANI, Hedge, who is known for making outlandish statements, was delivering a speech at Madapura in Somwarpet taluk of Kodaugu district. His statement came up in the midst of him stating that there needed to be a “fundamental shift in thinking” and that “regardless of caste and religion”, if a “Hindu girl is touched by a hand, then that hand should not exist”.
Hedge, who had faced slack for earlier saying that his party, the BJP had come to power to “change” the secular nature of the Constitution, also brought up several famous historical facts in his speech, and tried to give them a Hindu tinge- for instance claiming that the Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple constructed by Raja Paramardi Deva, Hindustan Times reported.
Reacting to Hegde’s declaration stating that those touching a Hindu girl should have their hands cut off, Congress state president Dinesh Gundu Rao told the newspaper that he didn’t expect anything better from the former.
“What kind of language is this? A Union minister is openly calling for vigilantism. No matter which community, if a woman is harassed then the law must be invoked.”Dinesh Gundu Rao, as quoted by Hindustan Times
Rao also pointed out that instead of using the public platform to speak about the progress and developments of his department and ministry, Hedge chose instead to deliver problematic statements such as this, the report added.
“Nothing is being said about what has been achieved by his ministry. It is very clear that this is the language they will use for the Lok Sabha polls, but the people of the country are seeing through it,” he said.
Hegde responded by dragging Rao’s Muslim wife into the Twitter spat. He said he knows Rao as a guy “who ran behind a Muslim lady.”
Rao’s wife Tabu then put out a response to Hegde where she said she resents BJP leaders using her as “pawn in their cheap politics.” She also challenged Hegde to take on her husband politically.
(With inputs from ANI and Hindustan Times)
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