Anantkumar Hegde gets BJP showcause notice for remarks on Mahatma Gandhi

Hegde, speaking at an event in Bengaluru, claimed that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British, and the independence movement led by Gandhi was a “drama”.

The Congress demanded  Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify his position before Parliament on Hegde’s “objectionable” remarks.

“They are disparaging the national movement. If PM and the BJP government are sincere about 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, we demand that PM comes to Parliament and clarifies his position,” Congress senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said.

“They are desperate for elections and only to get some votes, they are inflicting deep wounds on the soul of India,” Sharma said, adding that the BJP is practising the politics of violence and polarisation.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat said, BJP leader Anantkumar Hegde’s remarks on the Mahatma Gandhi-led Independence movement reflected “intellectual bankruptcy” of the BJP leadership.

“BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde’s statement is highly condemnable. This shows the intellectual bankruptcy of the BJP leadership. Their parent organisation, the RSS, had collaborated with the British and opposed the freedom struggle,” tweeted Thorat, who also holds Revenue ministry in the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government.

He said Hegde’s remarks exposed the “true face” of the BJP “which hails (Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin) Nathuram (Godse) as its idol”.

with PTI inputs

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