Karnataka Congress legislator Zameer Ahmed Khan has been mired in another controversy, this time for refusing to apologise and defending his derogatory remark against H D Kumaraswamy.

Earlier on 30 March at a public meeting in the poll-bound Basavakalyan Assembly segment in the Bidar district, Khan had called the former chief minister of the state and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy as "Kaala Kumaraswamy" (black Kumaraswamy).

After the incident, the workers of Janata Dal (Secular) submitted a complaint against the Congress legislator to Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant and sought legal action against him for his racist remarks.

They also submitted a copy of the CD of the speech and alleged that such comments were aimed at disturbing the peace in society. The members of Bengaluru Yuva JDS also staged a protest outside his house, reports India Today.

Khan once again defended his statement on Wednesday, saying, "Yesterday JDS workers protested in front of my house. They filed a complaint also. If Kumaraswamy was fair, and I had called him black/dark then it's my mistake. He's dark. People call me short, God made us like this. God made him dark, so he's dark. Dark will be called dark only." A video of the statement can be seen here.

It should be noted that by-polls are scheduled on 17 April for Basavakalyan, along with the Maski assembly constituency and the Belgaum Lok Sabha seat. The ruling BJP has selected youth leader Sharanu Salagar as its candidate from Basavakalyan, while the Congress has fielded Mallamma, the widow of legislator B Narayan Rao. Rao's death necessitated the by-polls.