A stern warning from Prajwal Revanna’s grandfather and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda to his grandson that he would have to face his anger and isolation from the family has forced the absconding MP to release a video.
Exactly a month after Prajwal left the country, the Hassan Janata Dal (Secular) lawmaker purportedly published a video, calling the cases filed against him a political conspiracy to defame him. In the unverified video that has been circulating on social media, Prajwal says that he will appear before the special investigation team (SIT) on May 31 and lay out the truth.
The JD(S) MP fled to Germany last month, shortly after a slew of allegations by women who said he forced them into sexual acts.
Relieved Prajwal apologised to JD(S) workers: Kumaraswamy
Reacting to the video shot at an unknown location, HD Kumaraswamy, senior JD(S) leader and Prajwal’s uncle, claimed that the ultimatum had brought about this development.
“Deve Gowdaji and I had asked him to appear before the SIT. He was also warned, and we told him that if he respected the party workers, he should come back to India immediately. The truth must come out during the investigation, and whoever is found guilty of playing roles in this case must be punished,” said Kumaraswamy.
He added that Prajwal need not apologise to him as he did in the video but to the party workers.
“I am a bit relieved now that he has apologised to our loyal party workers,” said the leader in Kolar.
What about the victims, asks Congress?
A full-blown political blame game has erupted since the scandal surrounding Prajwal came out, with the ruling Congress in Karnataka calling it the “world’s biggest sexual abuse case”.
The Congress also alleged that attempts were being made by the JD(S) and its political ally Bharatiya Janata Party to cover up the scandal as it affected their prospects in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls as well.
Senior Congress leader and state minister Priyank Kharge questioned the timing of the video and asked why Prajwal did not clear the air earlier if he was, as he claims, “innocent”.
“He could have sent an email or a video message like this. He calls it a political conspiracy; then he could have released a video a day after the issue broke, saying it was a political conspiracy and he had nothing to do with it. It’s been a whole month since it came out, and he chooses to respond now?” said Kharge. He also asked why Prajwal did not respond to the notice by the SIT, or when Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah wrote twice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, or when his family members asked him to return during a press conference, or when there was a hue and cry over cancelling his diplomatic passport.
“He says he went into depression, but what about the victims? He can feel empathy towards himself, but no sympathy towards the victims? He could have come out and said he would appear before the SIT and reveal the truth. Why did he have to wait?” asked Kharge.
Passport politics
JD(S)’s Kumaraswamy had earlier hit back at Karnataka home minister Dr G Parameshwara, who had said that the Karnataka government was yet to receive any official response from the Centre on its request seeking the cancellation of Prajwal Revanna’s diplomatic passport.
CM Siddaramaiah had written two letters, one on May 1 and the other on May 22, to the Centre seeking the cancellation of Prajwal’s passport.
“Does the home minister not know the protocol involved?” defended BJP ally Kumaraswamy. “We will support it. We welcome the decision by the Centre when it decides to cancel Prajwal’s diplomatic passport.”
External affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar in an interview with ANI confirmed that the MEA had received the letter from the Karnataka CM and “acted upon it immediately”. Jaishankar, while explaining the procedure of impounding a passport, said it would “need a judicial court or a police request to do so” as it is governed by the Passport Act. “The MEA got this request from Karnataka only on May 21…we have to follow a certain procedure, and the procedure is initiated,” the union minister said.
Siddaramaiah, in his second letter addressed to PM Modi, urged him to take immediate action and cancel Prajwal’s diplomatic passport, which he allegedly used to fly to Europe. The Karnataka CM called it “shameful” that Prajwal Revanna had fled the country on April 27, using his diplomatic passport, just hours before an FIR was filed accusing the Hassan MP of sexually exploiting several women.
The scandal involving Prajwal that broke out on April 27 is being probed by an SIT constituted by the Karnataka government after a woman working as a house help at the Revanna residence came forward and alleged sexual harassment and criminal intimidation.
Case against Rahul for his ‘raped 400 women’ charge
The Congress, which has been targeting the JD(S) and the BJP on the issue, alleging that both political parties are attempting to hush up the matter, has also been using the Prajwal case while campaigning during elections.
On May 2, at an election rally in Shivamogga and Raichur before the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a statement alleging that the Hassan MP had “raped 400 women”.
“Prajwal Revanna has raped 400 women and made videos. This is not a sex scandal but mass rape,” Gandhi had said.
The JD(S) filed an FIR against Gandhi and sought action to be taken under section 202 of the IPC (intentional omission to give information of offense by a person bound to inform) for the speeches made.
“In view of the fact that Mr Rahul Gandhi has made a specific statement that Mr Prajwal Revanna has raped 400 women, he is aware of the information and details of the 400 women raped and has intentionally failed to disclose the details,” the complaint read, seeking a criminal case be registered against him.
What Prajwal said in video
In the latest video, allegedly released by Prajwal himself, he addresses his family and the JD(S) party workers in Kannada.
“Namaskara to everyone. First of all, I apologise to my parents, my grandfather, my Kumaranna (his uncle and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy), people of the state, and party workers. I did not give any information as to where I was abroad. I have now come to share information as to where I am. On April 26, polling day, there was no case against me. The SIT also had not been formed. My foreign trip was pre-planned,” he said. “Three or four days later, I was watching YouTube channels, and I got to know about this information (the sexual abuse case). I responded to the notice issued by the SIT through my lawyer and sought seven days to appear before the SIT. The very next day, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others addressed a public meeting where they raised this issue and tried to create a political conspiracy. After seeing all this, I went into depression and isolation. There are political forces in Hassan district also who indulged in this political conspiracy because I was growing, and they wanted to stall my progress, and they were using this incident.”
After seeing all this, said Prajwal, he decided to stay away. “So please don’t feel bad. I will appear before the SIT this Friday, May 31, and I will cooperate with the investigation. I have faith in the judiciary. I am confident that I will come out of this false case through the judiciary. I pray for the blessings of God, my family, and our people. On Friday, May 31, I will appear before the SIT,” he said.
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