For embattled JD(S), Prajwal Revanna sexual harassment allegation makes the going tougher in Karnataka

The magnitude of the scandal and the absence of Prajwal Revanna, who left India soon after the polls on April 26, has provided limited scope for the party or its leaders to defend their MP. Sources said that the scandal has brought huge embarrassment upon the JD(S), and is very difficult to defend publicly.

For an embattled Janata Dal (Secular), which has been struggling to retain its identity and relevance in Karnataka politics, the alleged sex scandal involving its incumbent MP in Hassan Prajwal Revanna has come as a new blow. It has not only embarrassed the party and the family of the party’s patriarch, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, it has also put the party in the spot over its future course of action against Mr. Gowda’s grandson.

“The issue is likely to come up for discussion at a meeting convened in Hubballi, where leaders, including Mr. Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, will be present to discuss the election strategies for north Karnataka. There has been no formal discussion yet within the party,” a source said about any possible action against the MP.

On April 29, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said that the allegations are an embarrassment to not just the party, but society in general, and indicated that action could be taken against the MP. But, according to a source in the party, any action is unlikely to be be initiated till the end of polls on May 7. “Alternatively, the party could wait to see how the SIT probe progresses,” the source said.

Earlier, on April 28, the party’s core committee chairman G.T. Deve Gowda had welcomed the SIT investigation.

The magnitude of the scandal and the absence of Prajwal Revanna, who left India soon after the polls on April 26, has provided limited scope for the party or its leaders to defend their MP. Sources said that the scandal has brought huge embarrassment upon the JD(S), and is very difficult to defend publicly.

“How do you defend this? This is the biggest scandal we have faced so far. It will damage the party’s image,” another source said. “The party is now weighing options for a strategy. On the other hand, the family is looking at legal options. If the SIT issues a notice to the MP, he will have to return, or else it would be another embarrassment to the party and the family.”  

There had been talk about the existence of sex videos allegedly involving the MP for nearly a year, and a BJP leader had made this public during a media conference. Prajwal Revanna had got an injunction order from a court to prevent media publications from airing or publishing the contents.