Sex Scandal Involving Prajwal Revanna Sparks Conflict Between BJP and JDS Over Deve Gowda’s Grandson

JDS’ Hassan MP, Prajwal Revanna, has been embroiled in a scandal involving allegations of sexual assault. In a two-page letter made public on Monday morning, a party member expressed the embarrassment caused by circulating videos and the damage to the reputation of the party and its leader, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. Mr. Revanna, who is Mr. Deve Gowda’s grandson, is currently out of the country in Germany.

He claimed that the videos were being distributed to tarnish his image and influence voters. Meanwhile, the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has set up a special team to investigate the case. Senior party leader and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Mr. Deve Gowda’s son, emphasized that there could be no forgiveness for anyone who had committed a crime and assured that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) would take necessary action.

The scandal unfolded after a woman filed a police case against Mr. Revanna, accusing him of sexual assault multiple times between 2019 and 2022. The controversy has escalated into a political feud between the JDS and the BJP, with the national party’s leaders distancing themselves from the state party and calling for a reconsideration. The ruling Congress has also weighed in, questioning the BJP’s decision to field Mr. Revanna despite prior knowledge of the videos.

Fourteen out of Karnataka’s 28 Lok Sabha seats, including Hassan, voted in the second phase last week. The JDS is not contesting any of the remaining 14 seats as per the seat-share agreement established after the party broke away from the Congress to join the BJP in October.