Centre ready to cooperate in bringing back Prajwal Revanna, says Pralhad Joshi
Kalaburagi (PTI): Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday said there is a process to cancel the diplomatic passport of suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is accused of sexually harassing several women, and stated that the Centre is ready to cooperate in bringing him back to country.
Hitting out at the state government, he questioned why they did not file a case and detain Prajwal, before he left for abroad. The union minister also accused the Congress dispensation of trying to put the blame on the Centre and playing politics on the issue.
Joshi was reacting to a question on Chief Minister Siddarmaiah writing a second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to take "prompt and necessary" actions to cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal.
"There is a process to cancel diplomatic passports...so far Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar (Deputy CM) and Parameshwara (Home Minister) have not responded to my question.
"The first pen drive containing clipping (explicit clippings involving Prajwal) came out on April 21 and Prajwal Revanna left for abroad on April 27. Were they guarding donkeys for seven days? Why didn't you file an FIR and detain him?," Joshi asked.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "There is a process to get him (Prajwal) back from abroad and the Government of India is ready to extend cooperation to the state government by following necessary processes in accordance with law."
Joshi further said, "But this thing that as soon as we (CM or state govt) write things should happen, or else put the blame on BJP (is not right). They (state govt) did not take action in the pen drive case until the first phase of polls were over (on April 26) with an eye on Vokkkaliga votes. Now they are trying to put the blame on the Centre."
This is a serious case and Prajwal has to face the probe and will have to face punishment if found guilty. There is no question about it, he said, adding, "But the Karnataka government, more than probe, is trying to do politics in this case."
Siddaramaiah in his letter to PM Modi (dated May 22) said it is "disheartening" that his previous letter regarding cancelling Prajwal's diplomatic passport, has not been acted-upon, despite the gravity of the situation.
The chief minister had earlier on May 1 written to Modi urging him to move the Ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs to take swift action to cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is processing a request of the Karnataka government seeking cancellation of the diplomatic passport of Prajwal.
Official sources said that the MEA has received a letter from the Karnataka government seeking revocation of Prajwal's diplomatic passport.
The 33-year-old Prajwal, who is the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda and is the NDA's candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women.
Prajwal reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan went to polls, and is still at large. A 'Blue Corner Notice' seeking information on his whereabouts has already been issued by the Interpol, following a request by the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A Special Court for Elected Representatives issued an arrest warrant on May 18 against Prajwal, following an application moved by the SIT.
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3rd T20I: A three-match 'audition' starts for Gill to find his game back
Dharamsala (PTI): The countdown to save his place in the playing XI begins for a beleaguered Shubman Gill, who is likely to get three matches against South Africa to prove his worth before the Indian team management switches to a ‘Plan B’ ahead of the T20 World Cup, starting in six weeks.
As India gear up to play the third T20I against the Proteas on Sunday in sub-10-degree temperatures in the lap of the ice-clad Dhauladhar range, things are suddenly heating up in the Indian dressing room, with the prolonged poor form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav coming under the scanner.
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Worse, his deputy Shubman Gill, who was pushed into the XI at the expense of a settled Sanju Samson, is not inspiring much confidence.
The South African pace attack featuring Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Ottniel Baartman and Lutho Sipamla — has shown how to bowl on Indian tracks, and the HPCA Stadium strip, offering extra bounce and some movement off the surface, will certainly keep them interested.
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Among all T20 sides, South Africa, in terms of personnel, appears to have the requisite balance to win the trophy in the Indian subcontinent this time. Quinton de Kock’s return, along with the likes of Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira, David Miller and all-rounder Jansen, gives their batting an intimidating look.
With only eight games, starting from the third T20I, left before the start of the T20 World Cup title defence, India's under-fire head coach Gautam Gambhir won't be able to afford, two out-of-form top-order batters in the starting line-up.
Being the skipper of the side, Surya will certainly have immunity going into the T20 World Cup despite being completely out of form for the past one year but same can't be said about Gill, who wasn't the original choice as an opener.
Gill's entry into the T20 set-up was a classic case of trying to fix something that ain't broken and things haven't looked good so far.
In this backdrop, Gill would need to bat out of his skin to prove that Ajit Agarkar-led committee wasn't wrong in throwing Samson under the bus for one bad series against England.
The stylish Indian Test and ODI skipper will have to find his T20 game and at least score in two of the three matches if he doesn't want Samson to get his rightful place back or for that matter, find Yashasvi Jaiswal, with a fabulous T20I strike-rate of 165, enter the fray during New Zealand series.
Lack of clarity
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While head coach Gambhir is too proud a person to admit but sending Axar Patel as a one drop batter during the second T20I was a "tactical brain fade" from the team's think-tank.
The kind misstep that was taken with Axar's promotion is unlikely to be repeated in the third game where skipper is expected to go back to No.3 where he has got a lot of success in his first few years at the international level.
Similarly, Shivam Dube being sent at number eight due to the shuffling of batting order was another poor call which would need course correction in the next game.
Is there a place for Kuldeep Yadav?
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Kuldeep Yadav is one bowler who has consistently troubled the Proteas batter but in an Indian team where batting till No. 8 is non-negotiable, the left-arm wrist spinner often finds himself getting the rough end of the stick.
At Dharamsala too, he might have to sit out as Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy, two non-batters can't be clubbed in the same T20 playing eleven as that would lead to compromise in batting depth.
While Arshdeep hasn't had a good series so far, it will be interesting to find if team management can find a place for Kuldeep in the playing eleven with Hardik Pandya sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah.
The five-match series is currently tied 1-1.
Teams:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, NT Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Ottniel Baartman, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde.
Match Starts at 7 pm.
