Two Karnataka ministers blunder into Godse row, get BJP notice

BENGALURU: This is some embarrassment the BJP could have done without. Two candidates of the party seeking reelection to the Lok Sabha — Nalin Kumar Kateel (from Dakshina Kannada) and Anantkumar Hegde (Uttara Kannada) — have generated unseemly heat and invited criticism for their comments linked to Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.
The controversy erupted days after BJP’s Bhopal candidate, Pragya Singh Thakur, lauded Godse as a patriot and hours before PM Modi said he wouldn’t “forgive” the sadhvi for her remark.
In a tweet since deleted, Kateel compared Godse to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, calling him a mass murderer. In his Kannada tweet sent out at 1.27pm on Thursday, Kateel said, “Godse killed just one. Ajmal Kasab killed 72. Rajiv Gandhi killed 17,000. Now you tell us who is the most gruesome murderer?”
Kateel’s now-deleted tweet
The post was re-tweeted and picked up ‘likes’ along the way, but a huge section of netizens hauled the lawmaker over the coals for making the derogatory remarks on a former PM and drawing uncharitable comparisons with Godse and Kasab. After the firestorm, Kateel deleted the tweet and expressed apologies at 12.03pm on Friday.
“I tender apology (for my tweet) if anyone is hurt. I’ve withdrawn my tweet. Let us end this discussion here,” he wrote. But that failed to act as the balm. “Discussion will not end when you request. People are aware of Sangh Parivar’s hatred towards Gandhi and love for Godse. You have expressed it openly. Thanks. People know whom they have choose between Gandhi’s Bharat and Godse’s Bharat. People will throw Godse Bhakts to trash,” wrote Shrinivas Karkala @s_karkala.
To rub it in, Union minister Hegde said in tweets: “Am glad that 7 decades later today’s generation debates in a changed perceptional environment and gives good scope for the condemned to be heard upon. #NathuramGodse would have finally felt happy with the debate… Time to assert and move away from being apologetic! If not now... When???”
Hegde said his Twitter had been hacked and deleted the controversial posts. This didn’t amuse party president Amit Shah, who sought explanation from leaders praising Godse.