The current Janata Dal (Secular) MP from Hassan, Prajwal Revanna, is expected to be suspended from the party due to “sexual harassment” charges that have been brought against him. This development coincides with an increasing amount of criticism aimed at the Karnataka JD(S)-BJP combination.
Leading JD(S) figure HD Kumaraswamy revealed that the party is likely to suspend Prajwal Revanna due to the allegations of sexual misconduct. A final decision about this issue is scheduled to take place after a meeting of the core committee on Tuesday, April 30.
The JD(S) has called a major central committee meeting in Hubbali on the aforementioned date, as the current situation surrounding allegations of sexual harassment that include Prajwal Revanna and his father, MLA HD Revanna—sons of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda—escalates.
A woman who works in the family filed a complaint with the Karnataka Police, accusing Prajwal and HD Revanna of sexual harassment and criminal assault.
In a statement, HD Kumaraswamy declared that his nephew Prajwal Revanna—a JD(S) member and joint candidate with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the Hassan constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections—would be suspended. The polls for Hassan were conducted on April 26.
HD Kumaraswamy emphasised that even though Prajwal Revanna isn’t directly accused right now, he should be held accountable for any wrongdoing regardless of how it turns out. He also attempted to distance Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, the JD(S)’s alliance partner, from the dispute in order to stave off criticism from the ruling Congress.
The 33-year-old grand son of JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda, Prajwal Revanna is under intense scrutiny with the recent appearance in Hassan of various obscene video recordings allegedly showing him engaged in sexual misbehaviour with multiple women.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by the Siddaramaiah administration to look into the alleged sex scandal involving Prajwal Revanna.
The Karnataka government has acted after damaging pen drives with video allegedly demonstrating sexual actions by Prajwal Revanna with several women have surfaced. The 2,976 films were apparently taken at different homes in Bengaluru and Hassan after 2019, and initial research indicates that a mobile phone was mostly used to record them.
A statement from the chief minister’s office announced the formation of the SIT and stated that Prajwal Revanna had reportedly departed the country.
The BJP has come under fire from the Congress for allegedly helping Prajwal Revanna leave India. On the other hand, BY Vijayendra, the president of the Karnataka BJP, has denied these accusations, stating that his party is not connected to the claims of sexual abuse and stressing that the law will take its proper course. He denounced the ruling Congress for what he saw to be “dirty politics” in their attack on the BJP on the matter.
Samruddhi V Manjunath, a JD(S) MLA from Mulbagal in the Kolar district, expressed shock at the incident involving the father-son pair, saying that it has severely embarrassed party members to the point that they are hesitant to even bring up their party affiliation.