Kicking up a fresh controversy, Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik on Sunday made a shocking comparison of murdered journalist Gauri Lankesh to a dog.

Addressing a public gathering in the city, organised by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Muthalik lashed out at those who questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the death of rationalists.

"They (critics) are asking why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent on Gauri Lankesh's death. Many wanted Modi to react after Gauri Lankesh's death. Why should Modi react if some dog dies in Karnataka?" he said.

He asked why the Congress is not being questioned over the rationalists' deaths, when two of them were killed in Karnataka and two in Maharashtra when the Grand Old Party was in power.

His remarks were met with applause from the gathering. A video of the event also showed the audience shouting 'Jai Sri Ram'.

However, after the event, Muthalik clarified to a news channel that he did not make a direct comparison of Gauri with a dog.