BJP MP and ex-minister Anantkumar Hegde claimed "great ascetic" Karpatri Maharaj cursed ex-PM Indira Gandhi as many cows and saints were slaughtered amidst an agitation in her time. "He cursed that [her] clan would be destroyed on 'Gopashtami' (cow-worshipping festival)," Hegde claimed. He added, "[Her son] Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash on Gopashtami...Indira...was shot dead on Gopashtami."