Davanagere (Karnataka), Sep 3 : Karnataka Police have filed an FIR against Harihara BJP MLA B.P. Harish on Wednesday for insulting Superintendent of Police (SP) Uma Prashanth by saying that she was acting like a pet dog of Congress leaders in Davanagere district.

The FIR was registered at KTJ Nagar police station in Davanagere city following a complaint by SP Uma Prashanth. The police have booked the BJP MLA under Sections 132, 351(2), and 79.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Reporters' Guild in Davanagere city on Tuesday, BJP MLA Harish said, 'I am an MLA, but when the SP sees me at functions, she makes an awkward face. At the same time, she waits at the gates for members of the Shamanur family, and she behaves exactly like a Pomeranian dog of their household.'

Shamanur Shivashankarappa, a veteran Congress leader, is an MLA while his son, S.S. Mallikarjun, is the Minister for Mines, Geology and Horticulture and Mallikarjun's wife, Prabha Mallikarjun, represents the Davanagere Lok Sabha constituency.

BJP MLA Harish further said, 'When I attended an event in Harihara town, the SP ignored me, looked away, and sat on the platform without showing any respect. At Gandhi Bhavan grounds, in scorching sunlight, the SP waited for the arrival of MP Prabha Mallikarjun throughout.'

'At a Convent in Harihara, children were made to sit for one-and-a-half hours waiting for MP Prabha Mallikarjun. I left the event. If the SP had been present, she would have stood under the sun for 1.5 hours. Why this discrimination? I am an MLA and she is a Lok Sabha member. Both of us are people's representatives,' he stated.

'The SP might be thinking that being under the protection of the rich and powerful is good for her. But this will not last long. It is only a temporary phenomenon,' BJP MLA Harish added.

It may be recalled that veteran Congress MLA R.V. Deshpande stirred a controversy on Tuesday while replying to a question from a female reporter regarding the lack of a maternity hospital in Joida taluk of Karwar district. Deshpande responded, 'By the time of your delivery, we will be able to get it.' Even when the reporter retaliated that she was past that stage, Deshpande was seen laughing and walking away.

Both incidents have evoked strong public criticism for making objectionable remarks against women in responsible positions.

/IANS