A  Twitter war has erupted between Union skill development minister Ananth Kumar Hegde and Karnataka state Congress president Dinesh Gundurao.

Hegde, a highly controversial minister and a five-time BJP MP from Uttara Kannada, had made asked people on Sunday to make “the hand which touches a Hindu woman disappear”.

Gundurao condemned Hegde's statement in a tweet and questioned his contribution to Karnataka and his achievements as a minister.

An angry Hegde responded to Gundurao saying that state Congress chief's only achievement is running behind a Muslim girl, an oblique reference to his wife Tabu Rao, a Muslim.

I shall definitely answer this guy @dineshgrao's queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements?
I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady. https://t.co/8hVJ2wQXMU

— Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) January 27, 2019

An infuriated Dinesh attacked Hegde for lack of manners in public discourse, saying perhaps he didn’t learn from “Hindu scriptures”.

Sad to see @AnantkumarH stoop to such low levels as to bring in personal issues.
Guess it’s his lack of culture.
Guess he hasn’t learnt from our Hindu scriptures.
Time hasn’t run out, he can still try and become a more dignified human. https://t.co/AaX5OuUAVb

— Dinesh Gundu Rao (@dineshgrao) January 28, 2019

His wife Tabu, who stays away from politics, has in the past requested her husband's political opponents not to drag her into debates.

Even during Karnataka Assembly elections BJP MPs Shobha Karandlaje and Pratap Simha had attacked Dinesh Gundurao's inter-religious marriage.

Tabu had issued a public statement declaring that she was not a politician and no one should use her marriage to Dinesh to settle political scores.