Bengaluru: Karnataka assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar indignantly said on Thursday that he “doesn’t sleep with men” after he was asked about senior Congress leader KH Muniyappa’s comments over their relationship.

On February 15, while inaugurating Kanaka Community Hall in Srinivaspur Taluk, Muniyappa had said, “Ramesh Kumar and I are like husband and wife and we don’t have any issue.”

Reacting to the month-old statement, Kumar told reporters, “I don’t sleep with men. I don’t sleep with anyone. I have a wife and we were married for decades. He (Muniyappa) may be interested to sleep with me, but I am not. I don’t have an extramarital affair with whomsoever.”

According to sources, the bizarre exchange between the two was triggered because the speaker was against Muniyappa getting a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Kolar. He had made open criticisms against Muniyappa several times.

To douse the fire among the party leaders, Muniyappa claimed to have maintained a good rapport with his fellow Congressmen.

Sources said all the five MLAs of the Congress from Kolar Lok Sabha constituency are pressuring party’s top brass not to give a ticket to Muniyappa. With the MLAs against him, Muniyappa is worried about his chances even if given a ticket to contest.

“The party also thinks in a similar way, but they have no choice but Muniyappa,” a party worker told News18.