A war of words erupted on Twitter on Monday, 28 January, as Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ananth Kumar Hegde and Karnataka state Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao exchanged barbs over the former’s controversial remarks.
Hegde, who is known for making outlandish statements, had said on Sunday, “The hand that touches a Hindu woman must not exist”.
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”.
Reacting to Hegde’s remarks, Gundu Rao had said, as per a Hindustan Times report, “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.”
He also took to Twitter to condemn the statement, where he questioned Hegde’s achievements as a Union minister.
Gundu Rao’s attack was met with a vicious retort by Hegde, who said that the state Congress chief's only achievement was “running behind a Muslim girl”.
The snide remark was referencing Gundu Rao’s wife Tabu Rao, who is a Muslim.
Gundu Rao slammed Hegde’s ‘undignified’ response and said it was sad to see him stoop to such low levels.
Hegde, a Repeat Offender
Hegde has been a regular feature in the news for his controversial statements.
Earlier this month, he had said that Kerala government's handling of the Sabarimala row was "daylight rape" of Hindus.
Last year, he had called Dalit protesters in Karnataka's Ballari "dogs barking on the road".
A few months later, according to an NDTV report, he had compared the Opposition to "crows, monkeys, foxes and others” that had come together to fight the tiger that's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
(With inputs from PTI)
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