In what is bound to become another major controversy in the Gauri Lankesh murder case, Pramod Muthalik, Sri Ram Sene chief today indirectly compared the slain journalist to a dog.

"Sri Ram Sene doesn't have any role in the murder of Gauri Lankesh. Everyone is saying that Hindu groups conspired to kill Gauri Lankesh. But two murders in Maharashtra and two in Karnataka took place during Congress's regime.

But no one is saying anything about the Congress government's failure. Instead they ask why PM Modi has kept mum about her murder. Why should PM Modi react? Do you expect Modi to respond everytime a dog dies in Karnataka?" Muthalik said.

According to reports, he later clarified his comment stating that he did not make any direct comparison.

He made the comment during an address at a public interactive programme in Bengaluru.

Muthalik blamed the Congress party saying they were in power in the state but even then intellectuals point their fingers at PM Modi.

He also added that though his organisation had ideological differences with Gauri Lankesh, "We have not nor will we stoop down to murdering that person."

It was only recently that a Special Investigation Team questioned Vijayapura district president of Sri Ram Sene Rakesh Math since the suspected shooter, Parashuram Waghmare, was a member of the organisation.

Furthermore, a photograph of Muthalik and Waghmare surfaced in the media and this made the SIT suspicious.

Gauri Lankesh, known for her extreme views was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants outside her residence on September 5, 2017.

Read Also: Waghmare killed Lankesh; unnamed outfit has footprints in 5 states: SIT