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BJP MP from Uttara Kannada, Anantkumar Hegde, on Friday said there would be no world peace without the Sangh Parivar and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“Only if we are present, can the world be saved. We are members of the BJP and Sangh Parivar. If we stay here, there will be peace in the world. If we are not there, there is no world peace,” said Hegde.
He also attacked Islam and added, “I’ve previously conveyed that as long as Islam exists, there is no world peace. They filed a case against me after that. I am not afraid of all that.”
His comments have stirred a controversy with Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara saying action will be taken against the BJP MP. “We will take action according to law and order,” said the minister and added that the MP’s statement would create unrest.
Parameshwara also said there is already an FIR against Anantkumar Hegde. A suo moto case was filed against Hegde in January after he said the Bhatkal mosque in Karnataka would meet a fate similar to that of the Babri Masjid, which was demolished in 1992 by Hindu ‘kar sevaks’.
Congress MLA Saleem Ahmed reacted to Hegde’s recent statement and said the BJP MP wants to divide society. Ahmed called Anantkumar Hegde “the most incompetent former minister” and said he had not asked a single question in the last four years.
Hegde was earlier the Union Minister for Skill Development.
Congress MLA RV Deshpande also slammed Hegde and said the MP has not used funds to develop his constituency but is making communal statements. “I am a proud Hindu but it doesn’t mean that I should target minorities,” added Deshpande.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Prabhu Chavan said he will defend Hegde’s statement, but he does support the MP’s remark on Islam.
“What he has said is right. We must traverse on the right path. I defend his statement, but Islam is different and the Hindu religion is different. I don’t support him in the other things which he has said about Islam and peace,” said Chavan.
BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, meanwhile, said Hegde’s remark reflects the MP’s own experience, and he does not want to comment.
“Every person has their own capacity and work function, Congress has always questioned everybody and they try to please a community. Now, if he says something, what’s the difference between him and Congress? Sometimes Anantkumar is also right,” he added.
