Lambasting Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde over his remarks on amending the Constitution, Goa Congress chief Shantaram Naik today said either he should step down as a minister or the Supreme Court should disqualify him.
The Union Minister of State for Employment and Skill Development had kicked up a controversy on Sunday when he said at an event in Karnataka that people who "call themselves secular" were unaware of their parentage. He had also said that he respects the Constitution, but "it will be changed in the days to come".
"Hegde should resign suo moto from the union cabinet or the Supreme Court of India should disqualify him taking cognisance of his statements," Naik said.
The Congress leader said that when Hegde was sworn in as a Union minister, he had taken an oath "to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established", and that "he will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India".
"After saying what he said in Karnataka at a public function, Hegde does not have a right to sit in the Parliament, much less as a Union minister," Naik said.
Referring to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's reported statement on the issue in Rajya Sabha, Naik said, "Swamy made a shocking statement that when Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar drafted the Constitution, the wordsecular was not there in the Constitution."
"Swamy should keep in mind that there were several amendments made to the Constitution to give benefits to the weaker sections of the society, Scheduled Castes and OBCs in Karnataka and in his own state of Tamil Nadu," Naik said.
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