Sonam Kapoor uses Bapu's words to react on Hegde's 'Mahatma's Satyagraha was drama' spiel

Triggering a huge political row, BJP MP Anant Kumar Hegde on Monday questioned the freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, saying it was an "adjustment" with the British. "Freedom fighters who did not sacrifice anything made the country believe that it attained independence through 'Upavas Satyagrah', Gandhi's preferred mode of agitation by undertaking fast," said the 51-year-old multiple-time Uttara Kannada MP at an event in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Reacting to the Hegde's comment, Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor took to her Twitter handle and wrote Mahatma Gandhi's words, 'Hey Ram' (Translation: O God!).

'Hey Ram' (O God) is said to be Mahatma Gandhi's final words before dying after he was shot by Nathuram Godse, and the same is inscribed as an epitaph on his Raj Ghat memorial in New Delhi.

BJP unhappy with MP Anant Hegde's shocking 'Mahatma's Satyagraha was drama' spiel: Sources

What BJP MP Anant Kumar said

While addressing a public event in Bengaluru on Saturday, 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.

BJP issues show cause notice to Anant Kumar Hegde over Mahatma Gandhi remark

"Such people became 'Mahapurush (great person)", said Hegde, who is no stranger to controversies. "Those who sacrificed their lives and worked towards big reforms in the country were dumped in the dark corners of history, but those who fought in adjustment with the British became freedom fighters with certificate.....This is the tragedy of the country," he said at the event in memory of Veer Savarkar - another figure from the freedom struggle over whom there has been significant politics of late.

Hegde's remarks sparked an almighty furore, with Opposition parties demanding an apology from the BJP. As per ANI, the BJP top-brass weren't happy with Hegde's statement either. Hegde isn't new to controversy. Last year had sparked a row by calling Congress president Rahul Gandhi a “hybrid product that can be found only in Congress laboratory”. He said Gandhi claims to be a Brahmin “despite being born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother”.

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(with PTI inputs)