Prakash Raj counters Anantkumar Hegde: ‘Being secular does not mean you don’t identify with any religion’

Speaking at an event organised by the Brahman Yuva Parishad in Koppal district of Karnataka, Hegde said that while they would respect the word secular since the Constitution mentions it, the BJP will “change the Constitution” in the future.

READ | We are here to change the Constitution: MoS Anantkumar Hegde

“A few people say the Constitution mentions the word secular, so you have to agree. Because it’s there in the Constitution, we will respect it, but this will change in the near future. The Constitution has changed many times before. We are here and have come to change the Constitution. We will change it,” said Hegde, who is the Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

Targetting “secularists”, Hegde had said they were like “people without parentage”.

“There is a new culture now of secularists. If someone says I am a Muslim, or I am a Christian, or I am a Lingayat, or I am a Hindu, I feel very happy because he knows his roots. But these people who call themselves secularists, I don’t know what to call them,” said Hegde.

Mr Ananth Kumar Hegde …as an elected representative …how can u stoop down so low …by commenting on ones parenthood … #justasking pic.twitter.com/E3Z2CDrXJd

— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) December 25, 2017