Would have intellectuals shot if I were Home Minister: BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal

He said intellectuals are a drain on ublic money and termed them 'dangerous'.

BENGALURU: In controversial comments, 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 was the Home Minister.

"Thousands of crores of Indian money paid by people of India 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 yesterday, he said, "Tragedy is that the intellectuals and seculars within our country are more dangerous than them.

What kind of statements they give...If I was 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 action against someone who is involved in anti-national activity, they speak about human rights violation from soldiers and police," he added.

Yatnal is not new to making such controversial remarks.

Earlier he was in the news for instructing corporators to work only for Hindus, who have voted for him, and not for Muslims.

Yatnal has served as an MP and as minister of state in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.