Bijapur MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal has courted a controversy and sparked outrage following his remarks about Kannada actress Ranya Rao who is in police custody in a gold smuggling case.
Ranya Rao was arrested at Bengaluru airport with gold bars weighing 14.2 kg, which were hidden in her clothing while flying from Dubai. The foreign-origin gold bars are worth Rs 12.56 crore. Reports have suggested that she received help of her stepfather and DGP K Ramachandra Rao.
Yatnal claimed there were lapses by customs officials, adding that Ranya Rao "had gold all over her body, hiding it wherever she has holes."
Vowing to expose the ministers who are involved in smuggling in the next Assembly session, Yatnal said he has detail about them.
"I have collected complete information about her connections, who helped her secure security clearance, and how the gold was smuggled. I will expose everything in the session," he said.
This comes after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar dismissed allegations about involvement of ministers.
Yatnal, in 2023, called former Congress President Sonia Gandhi "vishakanya", following which the election panel sent him a notice.
In 2020, Yatnal endorsed the termination of wedding scheme for poor women in minority communities, saying "those wanting the scheme can go to Pakistan."
BJP had in December 2024 issued a show-cause notice to Yatnal for public remarks against the state leadership of the party.