BJP general secretary Shobha Karandlaje on Tuesday urged Governor Vajubhai Vala to sack Prof B P Mahesh Chandra Guru of the University of Mysore for making “derogatory remarks” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and eating beef at a seminar.

In a letter to Vala, copies of which were released to the press, Shobha said Guru of the journalism department was the brain behind serving and eating beef at a seminar organised at Kalamandira in Mysuru on Sunday. “Several other so-called intellectuals and academicians too participated in the beef festival, but they are not worth mentioning. Guru delivered a speech in which he abused and criticised Modi as well as the Union government on the issue of ban on cow slaughter. This despicable conduct by Guru is a clear violation of the civil services rules. He should be sacked,” Shobha said.

She urged Vala to look into the matter and take action against Guru.

Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda also condemned the incident. “Some of these so-called intellectuals do not have a mind. They carry it in their bags,” he said.

Gowda said such incidents go against the culture and ethos of the nation. “Sometimes, one gets a feeling that the state government itself is encouraging such incidents,” Gowda told reporters in Bengaluru.