Prajwal Revanna assumed that political power of family would let him get away with anything, say people in Hassan

H.D. Deve Gowda faced ups and downs in his political career. He struggled hard to get elected. “However, his grandson did not make any such effort. He was nominated when the ground was well-prepared for someone like him. As soon as he was elected, he got access to unquestionable power. It seems he felt he could get away with anything,” said a senior journalist in Hassan.

A chance to get elected to represent Hassan in Parliament at a young age with little hard work on the ground and the consequent unlimited access to power led Prajwal Revanna to commit crimes he is now accused of, according to many people in the district, whom The Hindu spoke to.

Prajwal Revanna, 34, has been accused of sexually abusing many women over several years. The allegations are being probed by a Special Investigation Team set up by the government of Karnataka.

Activists, party workers, writers and ordinary citizens, who have seen the political graph of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s family members over the decades, are of the opinion that the young parliamentarian hardly did the work expected from an elected representative of the people. He never showed interest in on-going infrastructure projects or development work in the constituency, they say.

“The people of Hassan have stood by Deve Gowda. All of a sudden, Deve Gowda nominated his grandson, 28-year-old Prajwal Revanna, for the Lok Sabha election in 2019. What was his contribution to the constituency? Had he spent time with people? He won because of the name that his grandfather had earned over the years,” said T.R. Vijay Kumar, Hassan district president of Madiga Dandora Horata Samiti, and a native of Holenarasipur.

Prajwal Revanna grew up in an environment where his parents had unquestionable influence. “The family enjoyed the support of people, advantage of caste, and possessed political power. The combination of popular support and political power was his undoing. He did not understand the value of the position he had been elected to. Otherwise, he would not have committed what he has been accused of,” said R.P. Venkateshamurthy, a social activist and senior journalist in Hassan.

H.D. Deve Gowda faced ups and downs in his political career. He struggled hard to get elected. “However, his grandson did not make any such effort. He was nominated when the ground was well-prepared for someone like him. As soon as he was elected, he got access to unquestionable power. It seems he felt he could get away with anything,” he added.

Many families in Holenarasipur and parts of Hassan taluk ensure that the names of H.D. Deve Gowda and his family members are mentioned in wedding invitations.