Synopsis
Kumaraswamy, who is Revanna Jr’s uncle, said there would be no question of him defending his nephew in the alleged scandal that has sent political temperatures soaring across the state. The JDS, he said, would take “merciless action” against Revanna if the Special Investigation Team proved the assault charges against him.
JDS State President HD Kumaraswamy on Monday said they have decided to suspend Hassan MP and NDA candidate Prajwal Revanna from the party, but since he was a sitting MP the party would place the proposal before the core committee on Tuesday to ratify the decision. The core committee is meeting in Hubballi on Tuesday.
Revanna Jr’s name has figured in a series of alleged sexual scandals, the clippings of which had been circulated in Hassan and outside.
Kumaraswamy, who is Revanna Jr’s uncle, said there would be no question of him defending his nephew in the alleged scandal that has sent political temperatures soaring across the state. The JDS, he said, would take “merciless action” against Revanna if the Special Investigation Team proved the assault charges against him.
The videos being circulated against the Hassan MP, he said, were an embarrassment not only to the family, but also to society. “I want to tell SIT and the government to conduct a fair probe. Such incidents should not happen in society, in my opinion,” he said.
Revanna – grandson of former PM and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda – landed in hot water after video clips, allegedly involving him, surfaced on social media a day after he voted on April 26 for the Lok Sabha polls. A woman has filed a case against him, alleging that she had been sexually abused multiple times by the MP between 2019 and 2022. She further alleged that Prajwal’s father HD Revanna also sexually assaulted her when his wife was not at home.
Revanna, however, has denied the allegations and has filed a complaint against the “doctored” videos. He is rumoured to have fled the country The Karnataka government has formed an SIT to look into the obscene videos case on the state women’s commission’s recommendation.
Distancing himself and the party from the incident, Kumaraswamy said that his father and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had always conducted themselves with utmost respect towards women. “An individual and his deeds are in question here, not the family…why bring the family’s name, Deve Gowda’s name or Kumaraswamy’s name? I have myself said whoever has committed the mistake has to undergo punishment,” he added.
However, the leader expressed suspicions about the timing of the reveal, asking why the videos were circulated just now. “The embarrassment could have been avoided if the matter was brought to our attention well in advance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders are cornering the BJP over the row, questioning why the saffron party, which was so quick to condemn the government for the Hubbali murder case, was silent now. Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge on Monday accused the BJP of facilitating JDS MP Prajwal Revanna’s escape from the country after a sex scandal broke out against the latter last week.
“It is very evident that despite knowing the facts that Prajwal Revanna was into these things, they went ahead and gave him the ticket. They campaigned for him. They ensured that he fled the country…I’m directly blaming the BJP on this front,” he said, alleging that the saffron party was protecting its alliance partner.
The Youth Congress staged a protest against Revanna in Hubbali earlier in the day, questioning why he was allowed to contest from Hassan in the polls last Friday.
