Anant Kumar Hegde and controversies are often considered synonymous in Karnataka politics. Known as the face of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) hard-line Hindutva politics in Karnataka, Hegde has played a key role in communally polarising the coastal region of Karnataka during the party’s early days in the state.
In recent times, from demanding to remove the word ‘secular’ from the Constitution to ordering cutting the hands of those who touch Hindu women, Hegde has kept himself in the political limelight with his outrageous statements. His elevation to union minister in 2017 too, is linked to his extremist views.