A magistrate court on Thursday issued a bail warrant against BJP MP from Vijayapura, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, after he failed to appear before the court for his alleged remarks on Tabassum Rao , the wife of Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao.

Tabassum Rao had filed a private complaint against MP Yatnal over his statement that “half of Pakistan is in his house”, a remark addressed to Minister Rao’s wife Tabassum Rao.

The 24th Additional Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) accepted his petition on August 29 and summoned MP Yatnal to appear personally before the court on October 16. However, MP Yatnal failed to appear, prompting the court to issue a non-bailable arrest warrant. .

The court adjourned the matter for the next hearing till October 28. The police, now armed with the arrest warrant, have the power to arrest MP Yatnal.

Minister Rao had earlier ridiculed the BJP party after the NIA arrested and questioned a BJP worker in connection with the Rameshwaram cafe blast.

When questioned by the media on April 6, MP Yatnal responded by saying that Minister Rao had no moral right to criticize the BJP, saying “half of Pakistan is in his house”.

In addition to the legal action, Tabassum Rao recently filed a complaint with the National Commission for Women against the BJP over derogatory comments made on social media platform X regarding the beef remarks controversy involving her husband.

“As the wife of Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, I have been subjected to unwarranted attacks and communal references simply because of my marriage and my Muslim faith,” she continued.

“I urge the commission to resolve this issue quickly and ensure that incidents like this do not recur.” I ask you to take the necessary measures to safeguard my dignity and protect me against any further harassment,” she told the commission.

Tabassum Rao pointed out that the BJP had made communal references, promoted hatred and intolerance against its community and dragged family members of politicians into political debates, despite their lack of involvement in politics.

“I have filed a complaint with the Karnataka Women’s Commission against the BJP for its derogatory and communal statements against me, despite my non-involvement in active politics. Attacking a woman is trivial. Women deserve respect, not abuse,” she said.

“I have already filed a defamation case against BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for his derogatory comments. Unfortunately, this has become a common occurrence with BJP leaders and their social media targeting me repeatedly,” Tabassum lamented.

“As someone not involved in politics, I find it reprehensible that my personal life and community are being dragged into the political arena. It is unacceptable to target family members of politicians simply because of their relationship,” she added.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, speaking on Gandhi Jayanti, had earlier pointed out that the BJP’s iconic figure in the freedom struggle, VD Savarkar, a Brahmin from Chitpavan, consumed meat and n was not against the slaughter of cows.