Anant Kumar Hegde's Constitution remark to take centre stage in Parliament: All you need to know about row

The Winter Session of Parliament has so far been a tale of adjournments, stalemates and calls for resignations and apologies. The government and the Opposition softened their stand on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks against former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, ending the nearly two-week impasse in Parliament but a fresh row over Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde’s controversial comments on secularism and the need to change the Constitution is likely to keep it astir. After an intense face-off, the government told the Rajya Sabha that Modi never questioned his predecessor Manmohan Singh’s integrity and commitment to the nation. Even as one controversy seems to be slowly waning off, clamour for Hegde’s resignation kept Parliament on its toes. It is an important day for Parliament as the government is likely to table the bill which criminalises Triple Talaq. Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj is likely to address the House over the ongoing Kulbhushan Jadhav controversy. What the Hegde controversy is all about On 25 December, five-time Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka Hegde in Bengaluru mocked secularists with his remark that they are unware of their parentage. Hegde, 49, said a new tradition was in vogue, where people project themselves as secular, but asserted he would feel “happy” if someone claims with pride that he is a Muslim, or a Christian, or a Lingayat, or a Brahmin, or a Hindu.

“I feel happy because he (the person) knows about his blood, but I don’t know what to call those who claim themselves secular,” said the minister for skill development and entrepreneurship. “Those who, without knowing about their parental blood, call themselves secular, they don’t have their own identity… They don’t know about their parentage, but they are intellectuals,” he said at an event organised by the Brahman Yuva Parishad in Kukanur town in Koppal district on 24 December. He was there to launch the Parishad’s website and women’s wing.

Urging people to identify with their religion or caste, Hegde said, “I will bow to you, you are aware of your blood. But if you claim to be secular, there arises a doubt about who you are.”

“A few people say the Constitution mentions the word secular, so you have to agree. Because it’s there in the Constitution, we will respect it, but this will change in the near future. The Constitution has changed many times before. We are here and have come to change the Constitution. We will change it.”

“We are here for that and that is why we have come.”   Who said what: ‘Hegde has lost his mental balance’ Hegde’s remark that was made mere months before the Karnataka Assembly elections was not taken lightly in political circles. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the statement and said that the BJP leader does not know parliamentary or political language. Karnataka Congress called Hegde the ‘messenger of hate.’ Hitting out at Hegde, Siddaramaiah said the minister has not studied the Constitution, does not know parliamentary or political language. He said Hegde has not learnt the social system and added that people belonging to various religions live in India. “Each and every individual in this country is an Indian, and every religion has equal right and opportunity. He does not have this basic knowledge,” Siddaramaiah told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_4278351” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A file image of Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde. PTI[/caption] Speaking to The Wire, Manoj Kumar Jha, the national spokesperson of the Rashtriya Janata Dal said, “Hegde is one of the poster boys of right-wing authoritarianism of the Hindutva forces and has simply uttered the intent of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) as declared by its ideologue MS Golwalkar in Bunch of Thoughts. Hegde has only uncovered the latent desire of RSS and it must be seen as a warning signal for the citizens, political parties and civil society that the regime poses a massive threat to the idea of India and the spirit behind ‘We the People’ as enshrined in the preamble to the constitution of India." The report also quoted Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Vijoo Krishnan, who hails from Karnataka, as saying, “Both Hegde and Prathap Simha, BJP MP from Mysore, have been trying to make polarising statements for sometime now. Clearly, there is an attempt by the BJP to deliberately communalise politics in Karnataka before the next assembly elections,” he said. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao and other state Congress leaders lambasted Hegde and said “the Union minister has lost mental balance.”

“Hegde is unfit to be a Hindu, and his provocative statements have demonstrated his mental illness. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Hegde have been making statements to divide communities on communal lines. “Hegde’s communal agenda will not work in the upcoming polls,” Rao said. Calling him an unknown face in Karnataka, the state Congress leaders said that Hegde had no idea about Karnataka or the issues the state faces, even after being a five-time MP in the Lower House.

The Congress termed Hegde’s remarks a “direct assault” on the composite identity of the nation and stated that the party will oppose any such attempt with all its might. Congress spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi said that the BJP and the RSS were “unmasked” by Hegde’s remarks and alleged that “abusing the oath of office and denigrating the Constitution and its values have become a distinctive feature of Modi government”. Condemning Hegde’s comments, Gogoi asked if the prime minister would break his silence on Hegde’s remarks as the minister had openly spoken about changing the Constitution. Alleging that the BJP-RSS school of thought is ingrained in “bigotry, hate, divisiveness and prejudices, that envision a monolithic culture”, Gogoi told reporters that Hegde’s remarks were diametrically opposite to the liberal and inclusive traditions of India and the progressive thoughts of BR Ambedkar and the makers of modern India. “The Congress strongly condemns and deprecates such regressive remarks which are against the idea and ideals of India. We shall fight this challenge in Parliament and in the court of people,” he said. Gogoi alleged that all such statements have a common link and agenda and were meant to propagate and practice sectarian ideology of the BJP and the RSS. The RSS and the BJP’s sole agenda was to change and modify the basic nature and structure of the Constitution and “impose their hate filled, bigoted and prejudiced ideology” on India and its people, Gogoi added. Socialistic values are the Magna Carta of India’s Constitution, he said. “Any maleficence attempt to modify this by the BJP-RSS will be fought by the Congress Party with all its might,” he said. Gogoi claimed that Hegde, like other BJP leaders, was suffering from the “foot in the mouth” disease. Controversy rocks Parliament When the two Houses of Parliament reconvened on Wednesday, the Opposition seemed determined not to let proceedings begin unless Hegde apologised even as the government and the Opposition parties reached a consensus on the other debate that was rocking Parliament. The proceedings of both Houses have been repeatedly disrupted over the past two weeks over remarks by Modi during the Gujarat Assembly election campaign. He had criticised Manmohan for attending a “secret” dinner with senior Pakistan officials at another Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s residence. The Congress demanded an apology from the prime minister.

In Rajya Sabha, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley said, Modi in his statements and speeches, “did not question nor did he mean to question the commitment to this nation either by Dr Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister, or Hamid Ansari, the former vice-president.” “Any such perception is completely erroneous. We hold these leaders in high esteem, as also their commitment to this nation,” Jaitley said on Wednesday.

The Opposition forced adjournment of the Lok Sabha several times over Hegde’s comments, and demanded that be be sacked as a minister. Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in the House, called Hegde’s remarks unacceptable, and said it meant “we all who support secular thoughts are not born to their parents.” Kharge alleged that Hegde had also denigrated the architect of the Constitution, Ambedkar, with his comment that the current dispensation came to power to “change” it. Rejecting Kharge’s comments, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar claimed the Congress leader was trying to distort what Hegde had said. He, however, did not comment on Hegde’s remarks or try to defend him. “Ambedkar is the father of the Constitution and we respect him. The prime minister had said the Constitution is our national book (Rastriya Granth). We are committed to it and secularism. The Congress should not teach us secularism,” said Kumar, while asking the Opposition not to disrupt the proceedings. “The Congress is indulging in pseudo-secularism. You (Congress) did not allow Ambedkar to contest polls. He was brought to Rajya Sabha by Jana Sangh,” he said, listing out steps taken by the government to preserve Ambedkar’s legacy. While Congress members trooped into the Well raising slogans demanding removal of Hegde from the Council of Ministers, members of the TRS also joined them with placards demanding a separate high court for Telangana.

In Rajya Sabha, as soon as Hegde rose to lay papers listed against his name, several members, including Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, protested. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu allowed Azad to speak but he was interrupted by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel. At this, Azad said: “Since the minister seems to be in a hurry, I will be brief. A minister who has no faith in the Constitution of India has no right to be an MP or a minister. He should resign.”

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, amid the din, said that the word secular was added to the Constitution later and not by Ambedkar. Minister of State Ramdas Athawale, who switched from the UPA to NDA, said it was not “this government” but “that one”, pointing towards the Opposition benches, which had “insulted” Ambedkar. Athawale praised the Prime Minister for honouring the memory of Ambedkar with a fitting memorial and said it was Congress which had insulted Ambedkar. “Don’t create a ruckus. You are going to be defeated in the General Elections in 2019 and 2024,” Athawale told the Opposition. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy from the Trinamool Congress said secularism is inscribed in the preamble of the Constitution and asked if a minister is allowed to denounce the same preamble in public. Samajwadi party’s Naresh Agarwal (SP) said the Constitution is the Ramayana and Gita of democracy and any minister who abuses it and its founder Ambedkar should be removed. At this, Naidu interjected to ask members not to bring Ambedkar into the controversy. Hegde is no stranger to controversies A case was recently registered against him for allegedly using derogatory language against Siddaramaiah at Kittur in Belagavi district. He had been slapped with cases for his “hate speeches”, including one where he allegedly equated Islam with terrorism. “Across the globe, terrorism is taking place in the name of Islam. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have also said it. Islam as an ideology should be eradicated. It’s neither a geopolitical war nor a battle against unemployment or poverty. It’s an ideological war,” Hegde was quoted as saying. Commenting on the Tipu Sultan Jayanti controversy in Karnataka, Hegde was also quoted as having said at a public meeting that it is a matter of time before Siddaramaiah starts making people celebrate “Kasab Jayanti.” Ajmal Kasab was the lone surviving gunman from the coordinated terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that left 166 people dead. Kasab was hanged four years later. Hegde was criticising Siddaramaiah for state-wide celebrations to mark Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary on 10 November. The Union minister was known to be vehemently opposed to the state celebrations of Tipu Jayanti since it was started in 2015 and had called the festival a “shameful event glorifying a brutal killer.” With inputs from agencies