Would''ve got intellectuals shot if I were Home Minister: BJP MLA

Bengaluru, July 27

Former Union minister and BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has dubbed intellectuals in the country as "dangerous" and said he would have ordered them shot if he were home minister.

"Thousands of crores of Indian money paid by people ofIndia as tax goes for the sake of development. They eat what is given by us and they shout slogans against our soldiers and India," Yatnal said, without elaborating.

Addressing a Kargil Vijay Diwas event at Vijayapura on Thursday, he said, "Tragedy is that the intellectuals and seculars within our country are more dangerous than them.

What kind of statements do they make? If I were the Home minister, I would have asked to make them stand and shoot them."  

Referring to an alleged statement by a senior Congress leader, Yatnal questioned human rights activists and groups on their silence about human rights violations when soldiers are killed.

"A leader of opposition in this country says Indian soldiers are harassing women and innocent youths," he said.

"People in this country speak about human rights, no one comes forward and speak about human rights when a soldier is killed, they don't condemn it.

But if there is actiona gainst someone who is involved in anti-national activity, they speak about human rights violation from soldiers and police," he added.

The BJP MLA had earlier courted a controversy when he told local party municipal members not to help Muslims.

Yatnal was a BJP MLA between 1994 and 1999. Between 1999 and 2009, he served as the BJP MP from Bijapur.

Under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Yatnal served as minister of state for Textiles and Railways between 2002 and 2004.

In 2010, Yatnal had quit the BJP to join the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S).

A year later, he became an independent MLC after quitting the JD(S).

However, Yatnal returned to the BJP in 2013. Agencies