Bangalore: Former Karnataka chief minister and union minister M. Veerappa Moily stirred up a controversy, when he said that the word ‘Hindu’ was invented by the Muslims in the medieval age.

He was speaking at a book launch event at Central College here on Sunday.

He said, “The word Hindu was invented by the Muslims. They wanted to separate people living in India from them. They called us Hindus. There is no mention of the word Hindu in our Vedas and Upanishads.”

Former prime minister and JD(S) leader H. D. Deve Gowda criticized Moily for bringing up the issue. Reacting to Moily’s statement, he said, “I request people like Moily not to raise such issues. Why are we going back to ancient times, medieval age etc? Can’t we live peacefully?” .

Hindutva extremist and Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik, whose party members had raised Pakistan’s national flag in 2012 on a government building in  Sindgi, near Bijapur, Karnataka and then accused the Muslim community for the mischief, too condemned Moily’s statement.