BJP MLA’s ‘house half of Pakistan’ jibe at Congress leader sparks row

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Bengaluru, April 7, 2024: BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal took a personal jibe at Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao over his remarks questioning BJP’s link to the March 1 Rameshwaram Cafe blast. Referring to Gundu Rao’s marriage to Tabu Rao, a Muslim woman, Yatnal claimed that the Congress leader’s house is “half of Pakistan”.

“There is a Pakistan in Gundu Rao’s house, so it’s his habit to give anti-national statements,” BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said.

The BJP leader’s attack came after Dinesh Gundu Rao tweeted about a BJP leader who was detained and questioned by a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case.

Yatnal’s personal jibe evoked a sharp reaction from Gundu Rao’s wife, Tabu.

“Yatnal’s comment that Dinesh Gundu Rao’s house is half-Pakistani is downright cheap, derogatory and defamatory. I may be born a Muslim, but nobody can question my Indianness,” Tabu Rao said.

She asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief JP Nadda would take action against Yatnal, who she called a “habitual offender”.

She also tagged the Election Commission of India in the post.

Tabu Rao had previously spoken about being a “soft target” for BJP leaders who are "unable to politically take on" her husband. In 2019, BJP leader Anant Kumar Hegde had said Karnataka Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao was a "guy who ran behind a Muslim lady".