Union Minister of State Anant Kumar Hegde on Sunday courted a fresh controversy by saying that "if a Hindu girl is touched by a hand, then that hand should not exist."
"We have to rethink about priorities of our society. We shouldn't think of caste. If a Hindu girl is touched by a hand, then that hand should not exist," said Mr Hegde at a public event in Karnataka's Kodagu district.
This is not the first time the Union Minister has stirred up a controversy with ill-considered remarks on sensitive issues. On January 2, he had termed the Kerala government's handling of the Sabarimala row as the "daylight rape" of Hindus, crossing yet another dubious milestone in a political career studded with controversies.
"The Supreme Court has given the direction. I totally agree with that, but at the same time since law and order is a state subject, the Kerala government should know how it has to be dealt with," he had said on January 10.
"The Kerala government had completely failed to manage it diplomatically without hurting the faith of the masses. It is a daylight rape on the Hindu people," Hegde had said.
(With ANI inputs)
