Shiv Sena lashes out at BJP's Anant Kumar Hegde over Gandhi remark

Shiv Sena on Sunday lashed out at Karnataka BJP leader Anant Kumar Hegde over his controversial remark against Mahatma Gandhi saying Hindutva ideology with a tint of Talibanism will "convert India into Afghanistan". In an editorial in the party's mouthpiece Saamana, MP Sanjay Raut took an aim at Hegde saying that those who played no role in the independence struggle are calling Gandhiji a British agent and shaming the movement.

"Gandhi is paying a big price to be born in India, 70 years since his assassination. Hindutva is an accepted ideology but Hindutva with Talibanism will convert India into Afghanistan," Sanjay Raut wrote in his piece.

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Annex Pakistan for akhand bharat

The editorial went on to suggest BJP leaders to convince PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to annex Pakistan and fulfill the dream of 'akhand bharat (undivided India)'. "Build such tall statues of Veer Savarkar in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad that the world would gaze. Godse fired shots at Gandhi for his idea of akhand bharat. Does anyone has the guts to carry out that idea," Raut said in an apparent hit at BJP.

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Motormouth Hegde

BJP MP Anant Kumar Hegde had sparked off a massive controversy after saying that fighters who did not sacrifice anything made the country believe that it attained independence through 'Upavas Satyagrah'. While addressing a public event in Bengaluru, the Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada said the entire freedom movement was "staged with the consent and support of the British".

"None of these so-called leaders were beaten up by the cops even once. Their independence movement was one big drama. It was staged by these leaders with the approval of the British. It was not a genuine fight. It was an adjustment freedom struggle," he said.

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