Mahatma Gandhi's freedom struggle a drama, says BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde: Report

Former Union Minister and Karnataka BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde is caught between rock and hard place again, this time for his remark on Mahatma Gandhi's freedom struggle, calling it a 'drama', according to an ANI report.

The Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha MP, on Saturday, said that the entire freedom movement was a "staged with the consent and support of the British", according to the report.

"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 while addressing a public event in Bengaluru.

"People supporting Congress keep saying that India got independence because of the fast unto death and satyagraha. This is not true. The British did not leave the country because of satyagraha," he said, according to ANI.

"Britishers gave independence out of frustration. My blood boils when I read history. Such people become Mahatma in our country," Hegde said.

Earlier, in September 2019, BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde called IAS officer Sasikanth Senthil “Gaddar” (traitor) just days after the 2009-batch bureaucrat resigned as deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada.