JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy behind circulation of explicit videos, alleges Deputy CM Shivakumar
Chikkamgaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday charged JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy with being behind the circulation of explicit videos allegedly linked to Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, and called him "king of blackmailing" and the "lead,director, and producer of the story."
Shivakumar, also the state Congress President, was reacting to Kumaraswamy demanding his dismissal from the Cabinet, dubbing him a "key conspirator" in the circulation of alleged sex videos.
The 33-year-old JD(S) MP, who is Kumaraswamy's nephew, is facing sexual abuse charges. The scandal has raised a political storm with the ruling Congress and BJP-JD(S) engaged in a slugfest.
While the Congress government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the cases, the BJP and JD(S) -- NDA partners -- have demanded that it be handed over to the CBI.
"Kumaraswamy knows about the pen-drive (containing explicit video clips) matter completely. A lawyer (Devaraje Gowda) and others are speaking. Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy) wants my resignation, it seems there is competition for Vokkaliga leadership. Let me give resignation, as he wants it," Shivakumar said sarcastically.
While speaking to reporters here, he said, "Finishing (politically) one after the other is his (Kumaraswamy) job. Blackmailing, (Kumaraswamy is) king of blackmail...he is threatening everyone, officers, politicians, what else he has for doing? Let him do it, there is time to discuss all this, let's discuss in the Assembly."
Kumaraswamy on Tuesday had claimed that 25,000 pen drives with videos of women being sexually abused allegedly by his nephew, Lok Sabha election candidate Prajwal Revanna, were distributed before polls, and accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar of a conspiracy.
The former CM also had sought to discredit the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Congress government on April 28 to probe the charges against Prajwal of sexually abusing several women after videos allegedly involving him started making the rounds on social media.
Kumaraswamy said his name and that of his father H D Deve Gowda should not be taken or linked to the explicit video clips case, as the Revanna family is seperate, Shivakumar pointed out and asked, "then why is he (Kumaraswamy) worried about the matter that is not linked to him? Having already said that action should be taken in accordance with law and the guilty should be punished, why is he speaking?"
"Is he (Kumaraswamy) a lawyer or a judge to issue the judgment? Let him go to court and argue point by point. He has called SIT -- Shivakumar Investigation team and Siddaramaiah Investigation Team, (Congress in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh) Surjewala Investigation Team. He is the lead of the story, he is the director, he is the producer, he is everything. We know what he is up to," he said.
Asked about allegations that Congress was behind the pen-drive circulation, Shivakumar said, "Kumaraswamy is getting things done by the BJP, he is behind everything, let the investigation happen."
"Let those speaking on the issue, if they have any shame, go to the victims' family and try to instill confidence and give them strength," he said.
Reacting to JD(S) staging a protest against him, Shivakumar said, they "can't sleep" without taking his name
"If they don't do it against me, their market won't run, without taking my name they won't get peace of mind, and even you (media) won't show them. More strong more enemies, less strong less enemies, not strong no enemies," he added.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
