A grandson of former PM Deve Gowda and the current MP from Hassan, Prajwal Revanna, faces a daunting road ahead as he grapples with severe accusations of multiple rapes. The scandal, which has rattled the state of Karnataka, poses a threat to the existence of JD(S). A report by Aayush Goel
Hassan, a quaint town in South Karnataka, has always been known as the epicentre of Janata Dal (Secular) growth and a testament to the giant strides former PM HD Deve Gowda had made. It is yet again in news and this time for alleged mass rape scandal involving grandson Deve Gowda, Prajwal Revanna, who is incumbent MP and the NDA candidate in the Lok Sabha election.
The scandal has rattled the state with political alleys rife with allegations and counter allegations. The Congress has trained guns on BJP and PM Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP for not just seeking votes for ‘mass rapist’ but also allegedly letting him flee from the country on a diplomatic passport even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised strictest punishment against anybody involved in such heinous acts committed regardless of his party affiliations and position. Prajwal, born on 5th August 1990, is the 3rd youngest MP in Parliament. He is the son of H.D. Revanna, former Minister for Public Works Department in Karnataka while former CM of Karnataka, H.D. Kumaraswamy, is his uncle.
H.D. Deve Gowda gave up his stronghold, Hassan district, for Prajwal’s debut into electoral politics and contested from Tumkur. In the 2019 general election, JD (S) contested 6 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, with Prajwal emerging as the only winner. Today, Prajwal stands suspended from the party, being hunted by Interpol and Indian police. Meanwhile, as the political parties are fighting it out, the protests are gripping the state that awaits Prajwal’s return and Lok Sabha results. The victims are scared, scarred and stigmatised.
The scandal
The scandal which threatens to be a big blow to the political existence of JDS came to light on April 22 this year, four days before the constituency went to polls. It was the morning that residents started stumbling upon pen drives lying along the tracks of the district stadium, about 190 km from Bengaluru and in Maharaja’s Park in the heart of Hassan. As the day progressed it was raining pen drives in the city. People picked them out of curiosity and passed them on and when once downloaded they found sexually explicit video clips, photos and screenshots of video calls. Soon, this went viral. The women in the photos and videos were clearly visible, but the man was not. However, he could be seen partially in the screenshots of the video calls he made to the women.
