Union minister Anantkumar Hegde’s controversial remark on secularism attracted the ire of many leaders. These include a former zilla panchayat member from Karnataka, currently associated with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), who said on 26 December that he would pay Rs 1 crore to anyone who chopped off Hegde's tongue.
Former Kalaburagi zilla panchayat member, Gurushant Pattedar, said that the minister’s comment has pained Dalits, Muslims, backward classes and secular people.
"Opposing his (Hegde's) remark, I'm announcing a bounty of Rs 1 crore for chopping his tongue and bringing it (over)," Pattedar, who identifies himself as a senior Dalit leader, told reporters in Kalaburagi on 26 December.
Pattedar, who is currently associated with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), said he was announcing the "bounty" on his volition.
"I'm ready to give the bounty amount to anyone who chops off Hegde's tongue and brings it in one month's time, by 26 January," he said.
The Karnataka Congress, meanwhile, has accused the Minister of State for Employment and Skill Development of being a “harbinger of hatred and communal divide”.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed Hegde, reportedly saying that he “spits venom”. The Congress CM asserted that the Constitution framed by BR Ambedkar could not be changed for casteists, reported The News Minute. The CM also said that the BJP leader did not know "parliamentary or political language".
In the Constitution we have said that we will create a secular nation. There are people belonging to different religions and castes. Creation of ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is not possible. All the 125 crore people in the country are Indians and we can’t glorify one particular religion. All religions have to be treated equally.Siddaramaiah to The Hindu
What Was Hegde’s Controversial Remark?
At a function on Sunday, 24 December, Hegde had said:
Those claiming to be secular and progressive do not have an identity of their parents and their blood. One will get self-respect through such identity. I will be happy if someone identifies as Muslim, Christian, Brahmin, Lingayat, or Hindu. But trouble will arise if they say they are secular.Anantkumar Hegde
He also made a controversial remark about the Constitution.
I respect the Constitution, but the Constitution has changed according to the times on many occasions in the past and it will change in the future. We are here to change the Constitution.Anantkumar Hegde
Remark Condemned
His remark drew flak from across the board, with PCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao taking to Twitter to say that Hegde “is not worthy of being called a Hindu”. He also blamed the BJP of trying to diminish the ideals of the Constitution by allowing Hegde to make such remarks.
Congress leader and actor Khushbu Sundar tweeted that people like Hegde are dangerous to the country.
Lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan said Hegde wants to "take us back to the medieval age”.
Editor-in-chief of The News Minute, Dhanya Rajendran, also took a jibe at his remark.
Actor and director Prakash Raj tweeted an open letter to Hegde.
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