Amit Shah attacks Congress over sex scandal involving Deve Gowda's grandson

Reports have also emerged that the BJP knew about the existence of the purported obscene clips before Prajwal Revanna was nominated as a NDA candidate from Hassan constituency

Union Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah on Tuesday attacked the Congress government over "inaction" regarding the sex abuse case involving the former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's grandson and NDA candidate Prajwal Revanna.

“This cannot be tolerated. BJP’s stand is clear – we stand with ‘Nari Shakti’,” he said.

The Janata Dal (Secular) suspended Prajwal Revanna on Tuesday over the sex clips, according to his uncle and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy. 

The Home Minister also directed a message to Priyanka Gandhi, urging her to focus on questioning her own Chief Minister rather than targeting PM Modi. 

"I want to tell Priyanka Gandhi that instead of asking PM Modi, question your own Chief Minister. Why isn't he taking action? We are in favour of a probe. Our ally (JDS) has also discussed action. There is no confusion in the BJP, we want the strongest condemnation of any insult to matrishakti," Shah said.

 

Shah stressed the seriousness of the situation and reiterated the need for swift action. He called on the Congress to explain why no action has been taken despite the latter being in power in the state.

"The mess on Revanna is very serious, we cannot tolerate it. It is against women spirit. We want to ask the Congress that despite being in power there, why hasn't the government acted on it. Priyanka ji should ask their Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister," said Shah.

Shah reiterated the BJP's call for a comprehensive investigation into the allegations, noting that their ally, JD(S), is also prepared to address the issue in a party meeting.

Prajwal, in a police complaint, has denied the allegations against him, labelling the videos as being “doctored.” The videos surfaced a day after his constituency went to polls on Friday.

Nevertheless, the Karnataka government has initiated a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the matter after massive public outrage against the purported videos showing sexual abuse involving scores of women.

Prajwal reportedly left India for Frankfurt even before the SIT was announced.

BJP knew about Revanna obscene clips before nominating him

G. Deveraje Gowda, a local BJP leader who had been defeated by H.D. Revanna, Prajwal's father, in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections from Holenarasipura, mentioned the existence of 'indecent images' and the imposition of a gag order during a press briefing in January 2024, as reported by the Indian Express.

Deveraje, claiming to have obtained access to the videos via Prajwal Revanna's former driver, and stated that he refrained from releasing the videos out of respect for the dignity and privacy of the women involved, the report in IE adds.

Months before Prajwal Revanna's selection as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate for the Hassan Lok Sabha seat, Deveraje Gowda had written to the state BJP leadership alerting them to allegations against Prajwal Revanna.

In a letter addressed to state party chief B.Y. Vijayendra, Gowda expressed concerns that aligning with the JD(S) and nominating a JD(S) candidate in Hassan for the Lok Sabha elections could result in the use of these videos as a potent weapon, tarnishing the party's national image, according to a Hindustan Times report.

Thousands of videos, purportedly containing sex tapes of Prajwal Revanna, were disseminated among voters through pen drives prior to the election. Most of these tapes were allegedly recorded by Prajwal himself on his mobile phone, which was then transferred to his laptop. A preliminary investigation indicated that most of the videos were filmed using a mobile phone in a storeroom at their residence in Bengaluru and Hassan after 2019.

Regarding the existence of the videos, in June 2023, Prajwal Revanna had acknowledged the videos when he filed a petition in a Bengaluru civil court against 86 media outlets and three private individuals, seeking a gag order to prevent the spread of what he described as "fake news" and "manipulated photographs/videos."

Prajwal was granted an injunction by the court on June 2, 2023, citing a "threat of broadcasting, publishing, and circulating such fake news, manipulated photographs/videos against the plaintiff by the defendants."

What is the Revanna scandal?

The Revanna scandal in Karnataka centres on allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse against Prajwal Revanna, a Member of Parliament from Hassan and a member of the Janata Dal (Secular) party.

A 47-year-old woman who worked as a house help at Prajwal Revanna's residence has accused him and his father, HD Revanna, of sexually assaulting and harassing female workers. She claimed that HD Revanna would summon women to the storeroom, touch them inappropriately, and sexually assault them by removing their saree pins.

Prajwal Revanna, 33, is the grandson of JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Hassan, Prajwal defeated BJP's A Manju by a significant margin of 140 thousand votes.