Bangalore:
Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna is likely to be suspended today by his grandfather and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's party over explicit videos of him allegedly sexually assaulting several women. The Janata Dal (Secular), an alliance with the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, is likely to decide the matter at a core committee meeting of the party in Hubbali at 10 am.
Prajwal has denied the allegations and alleged in a police complaint that the videos in circulation are faked.
JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, former chief minister and uncle of Prajwal, yesterday said the party has already decided to suspend his nephew. “A decision has already been made. It will be recommended tomorrow at the core committee meeting in Hubballi. Since he is an MP, it should be done from Delhi,” Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged.
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On Sunday, charges of sexual harassment and stalking were filed against him. The Karnataka government has also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which may visit Hassan – the constituency that Prajwal represents in Lok Sabha and is contesting again this time – today to probe the allegations.
The videos began circulating a day after the Phase 2 election last Friday, in which Hassan went to the polls. He left for Germany on Saturday, and a day later filed a police complaint, claiming the clips had been “manipulated” and distributed to “tarnish his image and poison the minds of voters”.
His father HD Revanna, an MLA, also accused political rivals of creating a conspiracy based on “old videos”.
On reports that he would leave the country pending investigation, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara yesterday said Prajwal will be asked to return to India by the SIT.
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Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Choudhary said the pen drive she received contained hundreds of explicit videos, some of which allegedly showed the sitting MP from Hassan.
The scandal has unleashed opposition attacks on the JD(S)'s alliance with the BJP, with the Congress targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Kumaraswamy, however, has distanced the BJP and Prime Minister Modi from the matter, saying their alliance partner has no connection with the scandal.
The state BJP has distanced itself from the controversy and said it has no comment on the SIT investigation.
In addition to the sex scandal, Prajwal and his father are also accused of sexually harassing their domestic worker several times between 2019 and 2022.