Anant Kumar Hegde (file photo)

NEW DELHI: BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde sparked a controversy claiming that the Mahatma Gandhi-led freedom struggle was a “drama” with the consent and support of the British. The BJP leadership has taken a dim view of Hegde’s comments and served him a showcause notice seeking an explanation. He may also be asked to apologise.

A Union minister from BJP said the party brass, including PM Narendra Modi , was “unhappy and upset” with Anantkumar Hegde for his swipe at Gandhi, whose birth and death anniversaries have often been occasions for the saffron party to launch public campaigns on a variety of issues.

The next course of action will be decided after receiving Hegde’s reply, the minister said. “The party has conveyed its displeasure to him and asked him to take remedial measure. Any insult to Mahatma Gandhi is unacceptable,” he added. Hegde has been no stranger to controversies. A junior minister during Modi’s first term, he was not included in his new team because of what sources described as the PM’s unhappiness over his hardline statements.

The BJP MP claimed at an event in Bengaluru that the freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British, and the independence movement led by Gandhi was a “drama”. He also wondered why the Father of the Nation was called ‘Mahatma’ (great soul).



In Video: BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde calls Mahatma Gandhi’s freedom struggle ‘drama’