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Updated: Jan 28, 2019 13:01 IST

Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde has waded into another controversy after his comments that “the hand that touches a Hindu woman must not exist” as he attacked Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao over his reaction.

Hegde made the “hands” comment on Sunday while, addressing a function organised by the Hindu Jagrana Vedike in Karnataka’s Kodaugu district.

“If anyone touches a Hindu girl then that hand should not exist. This is how history is written. Where it is a question of making history there you can see valour, where it is a question of studying history, then cowardice comes forth. Do you want to be makers of history or students of history?” the Union minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship had asked.

The president of Congress’ Karnataka unit Dinesh Gundu Rao condemned Hedge’s statement later on Sunday, saying nothing better could be expected from the minister and that he was openly calling for vigilantism.

“Wht are ur achievements after becoming a Union Minister or as MP? Wht are ur contributions for Karnataka’s development? All I can say for sure, it’s deplorable tht such people have become ministers & have managed to get elected as MP’s,” Rao had tweeted.

#WATCH: Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde in Kodagu, "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." #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/4uVNnIrNeu — ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2019

Hegde, however, dragged Rao’s wife Tabu Rao as he reacted to the Congress leader’s remarks.

“I shall definitely answer this guy @dineshgrao’s queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady.”

The spat on Twitter did not stop there.

“Sad to see @AnantkumarH stoop to such low levels as to bring in personal issues. Guess it’s his lack of culture. Guess he hasn’t learnt from our Hindu scriptures. Time hasn’t run out, he can still try and become a more dignified human,” Rao tweeted back.

Also read | Hand that touches Hindu woman should not exist, says Union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde

This is not the first time that the Union minister has made controversial statements.

He said earlier in January that the Kerala government’s handling of the controversial issue of the Sabarimala temple was the “daylight rape” of Hindus.

Last year, Hegde compared opposition leaders to “crows, monkeys, foxes, and donkeys”, slamming them for “coming together” to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the elections. Before that in 2017, he had claimed that the BJP government came to power to “amend the Constitution” to remove the word secular from the Constitution.

Also read: Opposition disrupts Lok Sabha proceedings over Hegde’s remarks mocking seculars