Bengaluru: A former zilla panchayat member of Karnataka today said he would pay Rs 1 crore to anyone who chopped off Union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde's tongue for his reported remark that secular people were unaware of their parentage.
Former Kalaburagi zilla panchayat member Gurushant Pattedar said he had announced the "bounty" because Hegde's comment had pained Dalits, Muslims, backward classes and secular people. "Opposing his (Hegde's) remarks I'm announcing a bounty of Rs 1 crore for chopping his tongue and bringing it (over)," Pattedar, who identified himself as a senior Dalit leader, told reporters in Kalaburagi.
Pattedar, who is currently associated with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), said he was announcing the "bounty" on his volition.
He also accused Hegde of "denigrating" the Constitution.