Hegde's 'amending Constitution' remark exposes BJP's ulterior motives: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 10: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde's controversial statement regarding the "rewriting of the Indian constitution" is not his personal opinion but that of his party.
"Anant Kumar Hegde's statement about the need for the BJP to secure 400 seats to protect Hinduism by amending the Constitution is not his statement but a part of the secret agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)," Siddaramaiah said in a press statement.
BJP on Sunday distanced itself from Hegde's statement saying that his views on the Constitution are his personal and that the party have sought a response from the Karnataka MP.
Siddaramaiah, however, said that Hegde's statement has exposed the ulterior motives of the BJP.
"Our Constitution protects people of every religion equally and provides every citizen the freedom to follow his or her faith. So, what version of Hinduism is Anant Kumar Hegde aiming to protect by altering the Constitution itself? Hegde's statement has exposed the ulterior motives of the BJP to replace Baba Saheb Ambedkar's version of the Constitution with their own, influenced by the Manusmriti," he said.
The Chief Minister said that the BJP's "version" would reinforce the evil practices of the caste system.
"The BJP will remove all reservations for OBCs and Dalits if they come to power. His statement is a direct attack on OBCs and Dalits," Siddaramaiah said.
He said that this is not the first instance of Anant Kumar Hegde speaking against the Constitution. Hegde has repeatedly expressed the intent to change the Constitution, the Chief Minister alleged.
"Observing the silent endorsement from senior BJP members and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apparent support, it's clear they align with Hegde's views," he said.
Siddaramaiah said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi disagreed with Hegde's opinions, he should first expel him from the party.
"Failing to act against Hegde suggests the Prime Minister's implicit agreement. It seems Modi's public declarations of allegiance to the Constitution are merely superficial," he said.
Siddaramaiah said that without the support of his party seniors, it would be impossible for an MP like Anant Kumar Hegde to boldly make such "anti-constitutional" statements.
"Hegde, who has sworn to uphold the Constitution, making statements against it constitutes a punishable offence. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha should take serious action against Hegde and permanently disqualify him from contesting elections," the Chief Minister said.
Earlier, Hegde said it is necessary for the BJP to gain a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and also come to power in more than 20 States to "amend the Constitution".