NEW DELHI — Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday slammed BJP leader Anantkumar Hegde for his controversial remarks about a Congress leader’s wife, saying he is “unfit” to be a Union minister and deserves to be sacked.
Hegde on Sunday had reportedly said at a public event that any hand that touches a Hindu girl “should not exist”. After that heated Twitter exchange began between Hegde and Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao.
Reacting to the reported remarks, Gandhi said, “This man is an embarrassment to every Indian. He’s unfit to be a Union Minister and deserves to be sacked.”
Gundu Rao, a Congress lawmaker from Gandhinagar assembly segment in Bengaluru central, is married to Tabu Rao.
“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.
Meanwhile, Rao’s wife Tabu, in a statement said it was “misogynistic” of a Union Minister to target her.
“It appears I am a soft target for BJP leaders who are unable to take on my husband, Dinesh Gundu Rao…I am a private person, a mother of two girls and a devout housewife. I do not hold any party or public position,” she said.
She was born a Muslim but is a “proud Indian” first, Tabu said.
“I have never made any personal remarks against any BJP leader and I strongly resent them using me as a pawn in their cheap politics,” she added. — Agencies
