Anantkumar Hegde[1] (born 20 May 1968) is an Indian politician, the former Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the former five time Member of Parliament for Uttara Kannada constituency.

[8] Hegde founded Kadamba group of organisations which works in the fields of multi-dimensional socioeconomic activities for the downtrodden, weaker and the vulnerable section of the society, particularly in the rural areas.

[6] In January 2017, he was caught on camera assaulting and hitting a doctor for the alleged mistreatment of his mother at a hospital.

[15][16] In September 2019, he once again triggered a controversy by calling the former IAS officer S. Sasikanth Senthil a traitor and asking him to go to Pakistan.

[17][18] In February 2020, Hegde triggered another controversy by stating that the freedom fight led by Mahatma Gandhi was a drama.