Deve Gowda, wife upset by allegations of sexual abuse against Prajwal: HD Kumaraswamy
Raichur (Karnataka), May 3: Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday said his 90-year-old father and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and mother Chennamma were in "pain" following the alleged sexual abuse of several women by his nephew and MP Prajwal Revanna.
The JD(S) leader lashed out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for accusing him and Deve Gowda of consulting lawyers regarding the legal fight to protect the Hassan MP, and said he does not have humanity.
"I want to ask the chief minister of this state whether he has any respect for parents -- I don't know from what culture you (CM) have come from. Today you have posted a statement on twitter (now X) stating that -- on one hand Gowda and Kumaraswamy say that the accused must be punished while on the other hand they have called the lawyer to Gowda's house to discuss on how to save the accused (Prajwal) and set things right legally," Kumaraswamy said.
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"This chief minister doesn't have humanity," he told reporters here. "I don't want to speak about his (CM) family to take protection... My parents are in pain. To give them confidence so that things don't affect their life, to comfort them, I was with them in their house in Bengaluru both yesterday and day before yesterday."
He further said, "Get video recordings from media persons stationed in front of our houses and see, Mr Siddaramaiah, as to which lawyer came to our house and how we discussed saving the accused", Kumaraswamy said, addressing the chief minister.
"You may not have respect for parents, you may not have come from that culture. For me, my parents are important. I know about (my father's) 60 years of political life, and how my mother (Chennamma) has led her life," he said.
The 33-year-old Prajwal Revanna is the son of H D Deve Gowda's elder son H D Revanna, who is an MLA and a former minister. Prajwal is the BJP-JD(S) alliance's candidate from Hassan, which went to the polls on April 26.
Explicit video clips allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna sexually abusing several women had started making the rounds in Hassan in recent days. The state government has constituted a SIT to investigate the allegations against the MP.
Kumaraswamy also flayed attempts at dragging Deve Gowda's name into the issue.
"You might not know or have forgotten how he (Deve Gowda) has led his life. We have said several times now: whoever has done wrong should face punishment. Still such statements are being made," he added.
Siddaramaiah, the 'bete noire' of Deve Gowda, was together with the JD(S) patriarch for a long time politically as part of the Janata Dal and JD(S) before he joined the Congress.
Siddaramaiah on Friday alleged that Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy were consulting lawyers.
"Kumaraswamy and Deve Gowda, who said that they don't have anything to do with (developments in) Revanna's family, have called a lawyer to their house and have held discussions. When they went for the election campaign, they said that 'I am not different, Prajwal Revanna is not different. They all do political and sinful acts together," the chief minister alleged.
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
