Senior Karnataka Congress leader BK Hariprasad on Wednesday apologised to the sex workers' community for his 'prostitute' remark during his speech in Hosapete and said that his statements had been "misconstrued".
On Tuesday, Hariprasad stoked a controversy by making derogating remarks against Congress MLAs who joined BJP.
Slamming state minister Anand Singh and other turncoats for switching parties, Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Council Hariprasad had compared them with "prostitutes".
"There is great respect for women and the sex worker community who live with self-respect," Hariprasad said in a tweet (roughly translated from Kannada).
He added, "The reference to sex workers in my Hospet speech is being misconstrued and created an unnecessary controversy,"
"I am sorry if my words, which are not malicious, have offended the sex worker community," the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council stated.
Anand Singh quit Congress in 2019 to join the BJP. He was among the 17 MLAs of the then Congress and JD(S)-led coalition government in Karnataka who resigned from the party and crossed over to the BJP.
"When you didn't give a clear mandate, we formed a coalition govt. We call by different names a woman who sells her body for food, we call her a prostitute. I leave it to you what you'll call MLAs who sold themselves. Teach a lesson to local MLA in polls," Hariprasad had said during a public meeting in Hosapete.
"You have to teach a lesson to the local MLA who sold everything including his self-respect," he had said while referring to Anand Singh.
While talking to ANI, BJP spokesperson S Prakash on Wednesday said, "they should not use such low-level words, few days ago, the Congress party compared the CM to a dog, now calling BJP MLAs "prostitutes" shows their culture."
"Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is claiming that Congress will share the love. Congress leaders give this kind of statement in Karnataka, so I wonder what Rahul Gandhi will say to this," Prakash added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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