Congress will lose in Karnataka due to anti-RSS propaganda, says CM Bommai
Hubballi, Jun 5: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said the anti-RSS propaganda resulted in the Congress losing its grounds elsewhere and the same will happen in the state as well.
"Former chief minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress leaders were always against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), so they speak against the outfit but people are well aware of the RSS. Their (Congress') anti-RSS propaganda led to their losing grounds everywhere and the same will happen in Karnataka as well," Bommai told reporters.
The Chief Minister said the RSS has been promoting patriotism and doing public service for the past 75 years.
Stating that the RSS has done good work in different parts of the country, Bommai said the outfit always rushed to help people in trouble during calamities.
Targeting the RSS a week ago, senior Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah had questioned whether those who belonged to the outfit were "native Indians", "Dravidians" or "Aryans". The statement drew sharp criticism from the BJP leaders.
To a query on the possibility of cross-voting during the biennial elections to the four seats of Rajya Sabha, Bommai said, "Let us wait for June 10 (the election polling date)."
The BJP has fielded three candidates -- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Kannada film actor-turned-politician Jaggesh and Lahar Singh Siroya.
While the BJP is sure to win two seats given its numbers in the Karnataka assembly, it is taking a chance to win the third seat for which the Congress and the JD(S) too have fielded their candidates. The tussle for the third seat has led to a speculation about cross-voting.
Regarding the controversy around the textbook review committee, Bommai charged that there is politics happening with regard to the textbook revision. State Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh will answer them, he added.
The Karnataka government dissolved the textbook revision committee headed by Rohith Chakrathirtha after its chairman was caught up in controversy.
The government also faced the ire of intellectuals who accused it of saffronising textbooks.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sexual assault case: ‘Big whale’ behind leaking explicit videos, says HD Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, May 14: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday alleged that there was a "big whale" behind the leaking of explicit videos of women being sexually abused allegedly by his nephew and party MP from Hassan Prajwal Revanna.
Kumaraswamy’s swipe was apparently against Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who refused to comment on it.
Talking to reporters about the Prajwal Revanna case, the JD(S) second-in-command said an MLA from Mandya said ‘large whales’ were behind releasing the video.
When asked to explain who the ‘big whale’ is, Kumaraswamy said, “Who else it is? Today an MLA from Mandya spoke about ‘big whale’. Whatever the ‘big whale’ is saying, the same is followed by the ‘small whales’.”
ALSO READ: Prajwal Revanna sex scandal: Karnataka State SDMC Coordination Central Forum pens open letter to CM
He said that listening to the arguments of the lawyers it appears prima facie that the arrest of MLA H D Revanna, Kumaraswamy's brother, was "politics of hate".
The government initiated action against Revanna to spoil the reputation of former prime minister Deve Gowda, the former chief minister alleged.
He asked how anyone would catch the ‘big whale’ when he is in government.
Reacting to Kumaraswamy's remarks, Shivakumar said, “Let him (Kumaraswamy) arrest and swallow the ‘big whale’. I am neither director nor producer. I am only an exhibitor, theatre exhibitor.”
On Kumaraswamy’s charges that Revanna was arrested to defame Deve Gowda, the deputy chief minister said, “Not at all. See, I too feel sorry for him (Revanna). I too feel that such things should not happen. It’s such a big family. Let them think whatever they want but I don’t wish anything bad for anyone and I don’t need it.”
Shivakumar, who is also Congress Karnataka unit president, said he believed in the law of nature and he too had suffered a lot.
“I too faced political conspiracy. I know how strong and full of self-confidence I am. That’s the reason that god protected me,” he said.
Revanna, who is the elder son of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, was arrested along with his confidant Sathish Babanna for allegedly abducting a woman on April 29.
The case was registered on a complaint filed by the woman's son, who alleged that his mother was sexually abused by Revanna's son and JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna.
The woman was allegedly abducted to prevent her from testifying against Prajwal, police sources said.
The explicit videos of alleged sexual abuse by Prajwal had been making the rounds on social media, and the Government formed the SIT on April 28 to probe the case after the Karnataka State Commission for Women wrote a letter to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking an investigation into it.
The 33-year-old Prajwal, who was the NDA candidate in the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, reportedly left the country on April 27, a day after the elections, and has skipped the SIT summons to appear before it.
Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice against the "absconding" MP, who is facing sexual abuse charges.
A Blue Corner Notice is issued to collect information from member countries about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.
H D Revanna was released on bail on Tuesday.
