Six-time BJP MP and former Union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde said at a party rally in Siddapur in Uttara Kannada district that the BJP would need a majority of 400 seats in the Parliament to “change” the Constitution.
He was addressing the rally on 9 March, Saturday.
“If the Constitution has to be amended – the Congress fundamentally distorted the Constitution by forcefully filling unnecessary things in it, especially by bringing in laws that were aimed at suppressing the Hindu society – if all of this has to be changed, it is not possible with this (current) majority. If we think it can be done as Congress is not there in Lok Sabha and PM Modi has a two-thirds majority in Lok Sabha, and keep quiet, it is not possible,” he was quoted saying by news agency PTI.
Following the outrage, BJP distanced itself from its MP’s remarks.
“MP Ananth Kumar Hegde’s remarks on the Constitution are his personal views and do not reflect the party’s stance. @BJP4India reaffirms our unwavering commitment to uphold the nation’s Constitution and will ask for an explanation from Hegde regarding his comments,” the BJP posted on X just hours after its MP made the comments.
Reacting to Hegde’s statement, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said this shows that BJP is anti-Constitution.
“Let him do it, amend the Constitution…this shows that the BJP government (at the Centre) and BJP MP are against the Constitution given by Babasaheb Ambedkar. Let him get it stamped by the Prime Minister,” Shivakumar told PTI.
Hegde, the six-time Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka, was also the Union Minister of State for Skill Development.
