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The case of BJP-JDS alliance candidate Prajwal Revanna's alleged sexual harassment video made public through a pen drive marks a major change in the way a scandal is exposed in Karnataka.
That too at a time when the battle for Lok Sabha elections has intensified in the state.
Before this, no alleged sex scandal had been exposed like this in the electoral history of the state.
Party workers of all stripes are disappointed to see pen drives being dumped at bus stops, parks, village fairs and even homes instead of using social media platforms.
The pen drives have been made public at a time when only five days were left for voting for Hassan Lok Sabha seat.
Hassan Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka is one of the 14 seats where voting took place under the first phase of the state and the second phase of the country.
Narayana, Professor of Policy and Governance at Azim Premji University, tells BBC Hindi, “Political innovation seems to be increasing in India with the help of technology. But what has happened is political manipulation. Perhaps this has been done to circumvent the injunction brought by Prajwal Revanna's attempt to stop media houses from showing excerpts of the video in June 2023.
image source, YEARS
What political impact could there be?
Bringing this scandal to light can have different political implications. This could affect JDS and BJP together or separately, both in the short and long term. BJP leaders admit in private that this is a 'shameful thing'.
As of now, it seems that the BJP and JDS alliance will pull itself out of this storm.
However, according to political observers, it depends on how Congress runs its campaign in the 14 Lok Sabha seats remaining in Karnataka in the next phase.
The Karnataka government has constituted a SIT to investigate this entire matter. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “Obscene videos are circulating in Hassan district. It has been observed that incidents of sexual violence have taken place against women.”
The SIT is headed by state ADGP BK Singh. BK Singh had led the investigation into the murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh and activist MM Kalburgi.
A new aspect emerged
image source, YEARS
Hassan district has been a stronghold of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda family. Apart from Mandya, Hassan is considered the center of power of the powerful Vokkaliga community. However, the Vokkaliga community is also spread in other districts of South Karnataka.
In the 2019 elections, HD Deve Gowda left Hassan seat for Prajwal Revanna (son of HD Revanna) and shifted to Tumkur. He did this to create balance in his family as his other grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy (son of former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy) was contesting from Mandya. But both Nikhil Kumaraswamy and his grandfather lost the elections.
The issue of distribution of pen drives came to light for the first time when Prajwal Revanna's election agent lodged a complaint at Hassan police station on April 21 that 'for political reasons, some pen drives containing obscene videos were being dumped in bus stands and people's homes. Are. These contain morphed pictures of Revanna.
In this complaint, fingers were pointed towards one person Naveen Gowda and some other people.
After this, on Sunday i.e. 28th April, a new aspect of the Deve Gowda family attack came to light.
A 47-year-old woman, who worked as a cook in HD Revanna's house, lodged a complaint at Holenarasipur police station. It was said that HD Revanna and Prajwal Revanna had sexually harassed her.
HD Revanna also became accused
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The woman who complained said that she is a relative of HD Revanna's wife. She came to the Revanna family to help in the household work during the marriage of Revanna's elder son Suraj. But later she started working as a cook here. He worked there from 2019 to 2022.
She has said in her complaint, “When I started working, the other six domestic helpers working there told me that they were afraid of Prajwal. The male assistants working there have also said that they should be afraid of Revanna and Prajwal.”
“Whenever his (HD Revanna) wife Bhavani was not at home, Revanna used to touch me inappropriately. He sexually assaulted me. He used to ask other people to bring my daughter to give him oil massage. Prajwal He used to make video calls to my daughter and talk obscene things to her.
The woman has said that her daughter had blocked Prajwal's number. After this he also left the work.
In the complaint, she said, “I saw the video and I know one of them (women).”
But regarding this matter, HD Revanna told reporters, “Now the SIT has been formed. I will appear before it. When called, Prajwal will also go. The FIR has been registered yesterday. This is a four-five year old issue.”
An angry HD Kumaraswamy told reporters, “Why are you all putting Deve Gowda's name in these reports?” If a person has committed a mistake, he will have to suffer the consequences.
What effect will it have on politics?
image source, YEARS
In June last year, Revanna had obtained a stay on these videos from the court. After this, local BJP leader Devaraj Gowda had written a letter to Karnataka BJP President BY Vijendra in the first week of December and demanded that Prajwal Revanna or any member of his family should not be made a candidate from the alliance.
However, the BJP leadership had decided that once the distribution of seats in the alliance was decided, it should be left to the alliance partner as to who should be made a candidate and who not.
Party spokesperson Prakash Sheshvargavachar told BBC Hindi, “We cannot tell the alliance partner as to whom to make a candidate and who not to make, it was left to the party.”
But Professor Narayana says that if there is a scandal, 'it will not have much impact' because when the voting took place, pen drives with the alleged video were being distributed only in Hassan city. This has had no impact on the first phase of voting in Karnataka. But, if Congress tries to attract women's votes on the remaining 14 seats, then it can morally challenge BJP.”
Political analyst D Umapati says that this scandal has given the stick in the hands of BJP with which it can dominate JDS in future.
Umapati says, “You can assume that BJP will swallow JDS. JDS might have anticipated this but in today's situation, JDS would like to save its present to look towards the future. There is no doubt that this is a big nail in the coffin of JDS.
Professor Narayana also agrees with Umapati to some extent. He says, “This episode has brought the end of JDS closer. This could lead to JDS's separation from BJP and if this happens, there will be a stampede among JDS leaders to join BJP.”
However, Umapati is firm on his point that as long as JDS leader HD Deve Gowda is alive, he will not allow his party to break. But if something happens to JDS, it means that Congress's politics will remain bipolar and it will no longer be a dream for BJP to get majority.
