Ananth Hegde: Controversy’s favourite child is at it again  

BENGALURU: Union Minister for Skill Development Ananth Kumar Hegde stirred up a hornet’s nest by making disparaging remarks against secularists, saying they couldn’t identify their own parents. The comment has evoked a strong reaction from the ruling Congress and civil society, while BJP has remained tight-lipped about the remarks.Earlier this year in January, video of Uttara Kannada MP, Ananth Kumar Hegde - who was yet to be appointed as Union Minister for Skill Development --  went viral. In the CCTV footage, Hegde was seen assaulting a doctor in the corridor of a Hospital.

The incident, which, according to the Minister, was provoked due to the delay in treating his mother at a Sirsi hospital, left three people injured - including two doctors.The act attracted much criticism from the doctor fraternity, forcing Hegde to abscond to prevent his arrest by Sirsi police.Hegde was then successful in getting an anticipatory bail later in January, ensuring that he was not arrested.

The assault on doctors and paramedical staff also came to the fore when he was appointed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a Minister.As soon as his appointment became public, Indian Medical Association wrote to the PM to reconsider Hegde’s appointment, as “by inducting ministers like Mr. Hegde, a wrong message has gone to the professionals especially the medical fraternity.”

The infamous incident is only one among several controversies that Hegde has courted during his long tenure as MP from Uttara Kannada.Earlier, the minister had stirred several controversies by his communal and Islamophobic rhetoric.

In March 2016, Hegde had to issue a clarification after his controversial remark -- “As long as there is Islam in this world there will be terrorism. Until we eradicate Islam from the world we will not be able to eliminate terrorism from the world,” -- attracted widespread condemnation from different quarters.
He was also booked for hate speech in connection with the case.On Sunday, the minister derided secularists as individuals who cannot identify their own parents, and said the Constitution will be changed, implying that ‘secularism” would be struck out of from the Constitution.

Accused many more times before
Hegde, who was an accused in multiple cases of rioting and unlawful assembly, had his first case registered against him in 1993 for riots in Bhatkal. This was followed by a case in connection with Idgah riots in Hubballi in 1995. He was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1996 and has been re-elected five times from the constituency. During the recent riots in Uttara Kannada earlier this year, the minister was again accused of whipping communal feud following the death of one Paresh Mesta.

“Are the thrashings enough, Mr Siddaramaiah? One can expect a bigger Marikaamba festival in the days if relied upon people like Kempaiah and Ramalinga Reddy!” Marikaamba is a festival where animals are sacrificed as part of rituals.The notoriety of the minister was not helped by his controversial tweets throughout the year. For instance, retweeting a name change ad, he had tweeted in August this year, “Terror activities could now be sourced to converted Hindus & Islamists could escape from its consequences, reducing the casualties!”

Such remarks are repeatedly being made by Hegde to widen his support base in the State. Fortunately, Karnataka as a whole is not responding to his remarks, as the state has a long history of tolerant society and syncretism A scholar

Hegde says that he wants to change the constitution. I think he hadn’t read the Venkatachalaiah report, which clearly states that the Preamble - where the word Secular is first used - cannot be amended
Prof Muzaffar Assadi,  University of Mysore