Hindutvavadis want a ‘Hindu Pakistan’: Shashi Tharoor on Anantkumar Hedge’s remark

"Many have pointed out that the Constitution has been amended 100+times. Govt is fully entitled to propose amendments. It is the intent that matters. The Hindutvavadis reject the idea that our nation is a territory &all the people in it. They want HinduRashtra: a Hindu Pakistan," Tharoor tweeted.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: December 27, 2017 04:30 PM IST

3 min read

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Congress leader Shashi Tharoor reacts on Anant Kumar Hedge's controversial 'Constitution change' remark

In a veiled reference to Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde’s remark on the Constitution, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said Hindutvavadis reject the idea that India is a territory and all they want is a “Hindu Rashtra: a Hindu Pakistan”.

“Many have pointed out that the Constitution has been amended 100+times. Govt is fully entitled to propose amendements. It is the intent that matters. The Hindutvavadis reject the idea that our nation is a territory &all the people in it. They want HinduRashtra: a Hindu Pakistan,” Tharoor tweeted in response to a post made by senior journalist Shekhar Gupta.

This statement from the Thiruvananthapuram MP comes after Hegde said that while they respect the word “secular”, the BJP came to power “change the constitution”.

Speaking at an event in Karnataka on Sunday, the Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.“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.”

Heaping scorn on “secularists”, Hegde said, “They are like people without parentage or who don’t know their bloodline. They don’t know themselves. They don’t know their parents, but they call themselves secular. If someone says I am secular, I get suspicious. I hope there are no secularists here.”

On Wednesday, a huge uproar was witnessed in the Parliament over Hedge’s remark. Despite the BJP distancing itself from Hegde’s statement that the party would soon “change the Constitution”, the Opposition remained unconvinced and demanded the sacking of the minister.

Members of the Congress trooped into the Well raising slogans demanding the removal of Hegde from the Council of Ministers. “Ambedkar ka apman nahin chalega (We will not tolerate the insult of B R Ambedkar),” they were heard shouting amid the din.

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While Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, raised the issue in the lower House, Congress’ Ghulam Nabi Azad said in the Rajya Sabha that Hegde has “no right to be a member of Parliament”.

MoS Parliamentary affairs, Vijay Goel told the Rajya Sabha that the government doesn’t agree with Hegde’s statement on the Constitution

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