‘Chowkidar’ Anantkumar Hegde – the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship – has claimed a ‘security breach’. Apparently, his Twitter account was hacked, and he realised the breach after controversy raged over a tweet from his account. Quoting a tweet from Right Wing academician Madhu Kishwar, Anantkumar Hegde’s account had said on Friday that Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse would have been happy with the debate surrounding him in the past week. But within the hour, the tweet was deleted and Anantkumar Hegde claimed his account has been hacked.
On Thursday, Madhu Kishwar had tweeted her admiration for Gandhi’s killer Godse, who has been making the news thanks to political rhetoric. “Sure he murdered Gandhi but he didn't hit & run. He surrendered & faced the trial with heroic courage & left a very powerful testament as to why he murdered Gandhi. I CONDEMN the murder but I admire Godse's courage in facing the gallows, staying firm on his version of patriotism,” she said.
Endorsing this, Anantkumar Hegde’s account had tweeted, “Am glad 7 decades later today’s generation debates in a changed perceptional environment and gives good scope for the condemned to be heard upon. #NathuramGodse would have finally felt happy with this debate!”
The central minister soon claimed his account was hacked, something that typically happens with political leaders right after they post something controversial or unpalatable. “My account was hacked since yesterday. There is no question of justifying Gandhi ji's murder. There can be no sympathy or justification of Gandhi ji's murder. We all have full respect for Gandhi ji's contribution to the nation,” the minister said, invoking ‘Gandhi ji’ thrice.
My account was hacked since yesterday. There is no question of justifying Gandhi ji's murder. There can be no sympathy or justification of Gandhi ji's murder. We all have full respect for Gandhi ji's contribution to the nation.
— Chowkidar Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) May 17, 2019
Alarmingly, the minister has claimed his account has been breached twice in just this week. So far, there is no confirmation on whether he has filed a police complaint against the unknown hackers with views he regrets.
My Twitter account has been breached twice in the past one week and certain tweets have been posted on my timeline which has been discarded and deleted. Regret the posts attributed to me.
— Chowkidar Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) May 17, 2019
Decades after his killing of Mahatma Gandhi, and his own execution for the murder, Nathuram Godse is in the news this week after Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan mentioned him in a political rally – calling him Independent India’s first Hindu extremist. The Tamil word he used – theeviravaadhi – can also be translated as terrorist, and therefore his comments have annoyed right wing Hindu nationalists across India, who have in turn decided to defend Godse’s actions.
BJP’s Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur on Thursday said that Nathuram Godse was a ‘deshbhakt' (patriot), is a 'deshbhakt' and will remain a 'deshbhakt'. “People calling him a terrorist should instead look within, such people will be given a befitting reply in these elections,” she added. She later claimed her stand was the same as the party’s when asked her reaction to the party distancing themselves from her comment.