Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna, facing sexual abuse allegations, has been suspended from the party. The 33-year-old MP, who is the grandson of JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, is the NDA candidate in the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls on April 26.
Many sex videos allegedly featuring him with multiple women have been doing the rounds in recent days.
While several JDS leaders demanded the expulsion of the JD(S) leader and his MLA father HD Revanna, Congress also on Monday attacked BJP for going ahead with its alliance with the JD(S) despite a BJP leader's letter to the party's Karnataka unit president, exposing the presence of a pen drive full of "sleaze videos of Prajwal Revanna".
Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera shared on X a letter written by BJP leader Devaraj Gowda to the Karnataka BJP president on December 8 last year. He said the letter exposed the presence of a pen drive full of "sleaze videos of Prajwal Revanna".
Revanna has been charged with sexual harassment by a 47-year-old woman who worked as a house help at his house.
The woman has accused Holenarasipur MLA HD Revanna, Prajwal's father, of sexual assault as well, as reported by India Today.
According to the report, the complainant claimed that Prajwal Revanna would repeatedly call her to his room, and that other women workers in the house had also been subjected to similar treatment. Male workers in the house had warned the women to be cautious around Prajwal Revanna, she said.
The Karnataka government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the videos, which are alleged to show "rape".
A case of sexual harassment and stalking was registered on Sunday against HD Revanna and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna respectively.
The case was registered on the complaint by their cook, who alleged that four months after she started working for them, HD Revanna used to sexually harass her and Prajwal Revanna used to make video calls to her daughter and have "vulgar conversations" with her.
HD Revanna Says 'Politics' Behind Issue
JD(S) MLA and former minister HD Revanna on Monday said he was open to an investigation over the allegations of sexual abuse involving his son and himself, and said they were ready to face action in accordance with law, if the charges are proved.
Alleging that there was "politics" behind the issue, the elder son of JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda said his son Prajwal Revanna would "join" the probe "whenever he is asked to".
"We are here, we will face it legally... Some four or five years (old) thing they have got it now and booking case...I will not react to this issue, as the case has been given to SIT and their investigation should not be hindered," news agency PTI quoted HD Revanna as saying.
