Amidst the tumult surrounding Prajwal Revanna’s ‘indecent video’ incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphatically emphasized the imperative of a “nil tolerance” stance against such individuals, advocating for stringent repercussions employing the entirety of legal recourse.
Furthermore, he lambasted the Congress party regarding the matter, asserting that the multitude of videos did not surface overnight. He implicated the Congress of facilitating Prajwal’s departure from the state, with the videos emerging subsequent to his exit from the nation. Prajwal Revanna, the suspended Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader, currently holds the position of MP for the Hassan constituency, vying for re-election under the NDA banner.
The electoral process for the seat concluded on April 26. During an interview with Times Now, PM Modi articulated, “I firmly believe in adopting a zero-tolerance stance against such individuals. Utilizing all available legal means, stringent penalties should be imposed.”
Additionally, Prime Minister Modi underscored the gravity of the situation as a law and order concern, attributing responsibility to the incumbent state government. “This is a law-and-order issue. The governing party in the respective state bears responsibility for addressing such occurrences. In Bengal, the onus lies with the Bengal government. Similarly, in Gujarat, it falls on the Gujarat government. And if it transpires in Andhra, the Andhra government must take action. Likewise, in Karnataka, it is the prerogative of the Karnataka government to act,” he elaborated.
Prime Minister Modi alleged that the videos were captured during the tenure of the Congress-JD(S) alliance in the state and were disseminated subsequent to the Vokkaliga electorate exercising their voting rights during the second phase of elections. “However, the sheer volume of these videos suggests they were not recorded in a single day, indicating they originated during the coalition between JD(S) and Congress. They were compiled during their tenure and surfaced during the electoral process after the Vokkaligas cast their votes,” asserted the Prime Minister.
“Following his departure from the country, the videos were unveiled. His departure from the state was facilitated by you. This raises significant suspicions,” he added. HD Revanna and his son, Prajwal Revanna, are currently subject to investigation by a Special Investigative Team (SIT) appointed by the Karnataka government, following allegations of sexual misconduct and intimidation lodged by a former household employee.
HD Revanna remains in Special Investigative Team (SIT) custody until May 8 in connection with a kidnapping case linked to the “indecent video case,” while Prajwal Revanna has absconded to another nation. The electoral process for the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka is being conducted in two phases, with 14 seats contested on April 26 and the remaining 14 slated for polling on May 7. Vote tabulation is scheduled for June 4.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP emerged triumphant in nearly all constituencies, securing victory in 25 out of 28 seats, while the Congress and JD-S, erstwhile coalition partners in the state administration, could only clinch one seat each.