Just over a week after being inducted into the Union Cabinet as Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Anantkumar Hegde has landed in a controversy by making controversial remarks against media persons.
On Monday, addressing a gathering after a felicitation in Kumta, Mr. Hegde termed media persons a “confused lot” who “do not know how to speak, what to ask, what to write”.
He went on to say that they do not even know how to faithfully write what is said. His remarks soon went viral, evoking severe criticism on social media.
As a Member of Parliament, Mr. Hegde had courted controversy earlier by allegedly manhandling a doctor at a private hospital in Sirsi, his constituency.
In his speech, however, he made an exception of journalists from Uttara Kannada saying he wants to “congratulate media friends from Uttara Kannada as they have not crossed the line of decency”. He further said that those outside “do not know the value of words and do not know about their own lives”. He said the “media was full of them”.
None of those present in the gathering objected to his comments. But after the video went viral on social media, criticism started pouring in.