Bengaluru: A day after racking up criticism for questioning the freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, former union minister Anant Kumar Hegde has denied allegations and has termed the media reports as false.
He has denied his statements and said the debate is over things he did not speak. "It is an unnecessary controversy," he said.
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"There were two types of freedom fighters, one which believed in Shastra (arms) and another in Shaastra (intellectual motivators). There was also another category of freedom fighters who used to ask the British how to carry out the freedom struggle," Hegde was heard saying in a video which has gone viral.
He had alleged that the third category of freedom fighters had pleaded with the British to recognise their freedom struggle and requested that they should be imprisoned.
Freedom fighters who did not sacrifice anything made the country believe that India attained independence through'Upavas Satyagrah', he had said, adding that the British were 'frightened' and gifted the nation freedom.
With inputs from PTI, ANI
