As JD(S) finally suspends Prajwal, Kumaraswamy and Amit Shah ask: Why link case to PM Modi?

JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy said the duration of suspension is “until the completion of the probe by the Special Investigation Team. If allegations against him are proved, he will be suspended permanently”.

Kumaraswamy was referring to the decision by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to constitute an SIT to probe the allegations against Prajwal (33), the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, based on a petition by the head of the State Commission for Women, which took cognizance of several sexually explicit video clips.

Kumaraswamy alleged there was “a conspiracy to spoil our family name using the issue”.

“Their objective is not to protect women. Using this case, they are raking H D Deve Gowda’s name and Kumaraswamy’s name repeatedly… What is the connection with Deve Gowda and me?” he asked.

He also attacked the Karnataka Congress for tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media platforms: “What is the connection between the PM and this case? What is his role?”

The JD(S) and BJP are fighting the Lok Sabha polls as allies in the state.

In Guwahati, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also targeted the Congress for linking the Prime Minister to the case.

“The news about Shri Revanna in newspapers and channels is shocking; it cannot be tolerated and the BJP’s stand is very clear. We stand with the country’s ‘matrishakti’, we stand with the country’s ‘narishakti’. Narendra Modi has a commitment to the whole country. An insult to ‘matrishakti’ cannot be tolerated anywhere,” he said.

However, he added, “The Congress which wants to accuse us, I want to ask a small thing: whose government is there? It’s a Congress government. The videos would have been in your knowledge because it was released at such a time. And till now, why has the Congress party not taken any action? The proceedings do not have to be done by us. Law and order is a state issue.”

“Priyanka (Gandhi) ji is asking us questions, I want to ask Priyanka ji: instead of asking questions to me and Narendra Modi ji, please question your Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister on what the government is doing. Why has there not been an investigation? We are in favour of an investigation and our partner JD(S) has also said that it will take action against him,” Shah said.

Priyanka had on Monday questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on the issue and said that he should not talk about the “mangalsutra” of women till Prajwal is brought back to India.

On Tuesday, her party colleague and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar asked whether the BJP would continue its alliance with the JD(S).

Kumaraswamy, however, insisted that Prajwal was not made a candidate by the BJP, but was fielded by the JD(S), and attacked the Congress for “misusing women for political gain”.

On claims that there were more than 2,000 videos, the JD(S) leader asked, “Which factory did you produce these videos? If it was 2,000, for how many years should he have done that? He was an MP only for five years.”

He also demanded CM Siddaramaiah to investigate the role of those involved in releasing the pen drive containing the sex videos.

On Monday, a Karnataka BJP leader, G Devaraje Gowda, had claimed that he had flagged the case to the state BJP leadership – as well as to the central leadership – in December. Devaraje had also claimed that the videos were first leaked to Congress leaders, and that he learnt about them from Revanna’s former driver, Karthik, who had a falling out with the family.

On Tuesday, Karthik claimed he had shared the videos only with Devaraje. In a video, Karthik claimed that he had approached Devaraje after the Revanna family allegedly harassed him and forcefully transferred a parcel of land he owned to their name.

“I do not know whether he (Devaraje) distributed the pen drive or gave it to someone else for the purpose or whether the BJP people did it. But I did not give the pen drive to anyone else except him. Now, he is blaming me for giving it to Congress leaders. If I were to give it to Congress leaders, why would I approach him for justice?” Karthik said.

He said he would submit all documents related to the case to the SIT.

Responding to Karthik’s claims, Devaraje said, “I was his lawyer and he gave it to me. But how can we trust his claims that he has given it only to me? Why did he download such videos on a pen drive?”

He also alleged that Karthik was now running around with Congress leaders. “When he is with them, apart from Congress leaders, who else will he share the video with,” he said.