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’.”
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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.
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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.
