Hassan: The ‘obscene videos’ row surrounding his nephew Prajwal Revanna seems to have tipped the scales in favour of former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in what has been a long-drawn-out power tussle in the Janata Dal (Secular) first family. Prajwal and his father H.D. Revanna — Kumaraswamy’s brother — are in the eye of a storm since the videos came into circulation in the Hassan constituency.
With the Revannas entangled in the controversy, Kumaraswamy has tightened his grip on the party, while trying to distance it from the scandal, which has come at a time when the JD(S) is attempting to recover from the rout in the 2023 state election.
Kumaraswamy secured an injunction Monday, restraining nearly 90 news and other social media platforms from telecasting, broadcasting, printing, publishing, circulating or posting any “defamatory” articles related to himself or his father H. D. Deve Gowda, “involving or referring to plaintiffs in relation to the alleged issue concerning alleged obscene videos allegedly involving Mr Prajwal Revanna”.
By distancing himself from his brother’s family, Kumaraswamy is trying to shield himself and his father from any backlash because of the charges levelled against Prajwal and Revanna.
“Deve Gowda is 92 and my mother is 89, we have seen with our own eyes how they have lived their lives. What if there is some problem with their health?” he told reporters Tuesday.
He alleged that there was a ‘conspiracy’ at play to defame Deve Gowda’s family, and that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Congress government was just a charade, calling it the “Shivakumar or Siddaramaiah investigation team”.
Kumaraswamy has not overtly defended his brother’s family against the charges, but has instead focused on attacking the people who released the videos without blurring the faces of the alleged victims.
Kumaraswamy and Revanna — the two politically active sons of Deve Gowda — have, for long, tried to take the reins of the JD(S) in their hands, with the 91-year-old patriarch turning into a mere spectator. “It is like the replay of the movie Godfather as the families gang up against one another,” said a Bengaluru-based analyst.
The row seems to have handed firm control of an undivided JD(S) to Kumaraswamy. The bitterness between the two brothers is well-known. Analysts say that the grave allegations against Prajwal and his father can affect the long-term prospects — if any — of the party that has tied up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in a bid to rebuild its reputation after its poor outing last year.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the actor-politician son of Kumaraswamy, has maintained a low- profile ever since the video clips surfaced, just days before 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka, including Hassan, went to polls on 26 April.
A day after Revanna was taken into custody by the SIT from Deve Gowda’s home, Nikhil paid a visit to his grandfather.
“I did not dare look at the visuals,” he told reporters. “This case… in a way is being used politically that gives a wrong message to the people. How Deve Gowda, Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy), especially Deve Gowda… how his personal life is an open book, there is nothing to hide.”
After Deve Gowda vacated Hassan for Prajwal in the 2019 general election, Kumaraswamy had forced a reluctant Nikhil to contest from Mandya. But Nikhil lost in 2019 as well as the 2023 assembly polls. Meanwhile, during the same period, Revanna’s other son Suraj became a Member of Legislative Council.
Kumaraswamy retaliated by denying Revanna’s wife Bhavani a ticket from Hassan city last year. Though younger than Revanna by two years, Kumaraswamy has been the chief minister twice and the JD(S) face on the national level.
Political experts say that Kumaraswamy may have regained control of the JD(S) in the short-run, but the party needs to rebuild its image. However, the isolation of Revanna can prove to be a “double-edged sword”.
Kumaraswamy has denied any wrongdoing on his part and accused Congress state president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of being the mastermind behind the entire ‘conspiracy’.
Also Read: ‘Didn’t give clips to Congress’ — Prajwal Revanna’s ex-driver claims he gave pen drive to BJP leader
‘Brand icon’
In Hassan, bastion of the Gowda family, most fingers are currently pointed at Prajwal Revanna.
Some estimates suggest that around 3,000 obscene video clips of Prajwal allegedly sexually assaulting several women are being circulated. Three cases have been filed so far against Prajwal and his father with charges of rape, kidnapping and molestation, among other serious offences.
“He (Prajwal) ruined the reputation that Deve Gowda built over his lifetime and his legacy,” said a retired school teacher. The fear of speaking out is palpable as Hassan has been under the firm grip of the Gowda family for nearly three decades.
Kumaraswamy has stated that he and his father have “always been respectful when it comes to women’s issues”. “Kumaraswamy is our brand icon,” said a JD(S) leader, one of those who joined the list of legislators seeking the expulsion of Prajwal from the party.
With the JD(S) restricted to just 19 seats in the 224-member assembly and its vote share dipping to an all-time low of 13 percent in 2023, Kumaraswamy is attempting to douse the fire that has engulfed his party.
The party, along with its ally BJP, is trying to take on the ‘common enemy — the Congress — in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. But, the controversy has also forced the BJP to distance itself from its regional partner. The future of the alliance now depends on how the JD(S) performs in its three constituencies — Kolar, Hassan and Mandya, party leaders say.
But the legislators seem to side with Kumaraswamy, at least for the moment. In the JD(S) core committee meeting last Tuesday in Hubballi, all legislators voted unanimously to suspend Prajwal.
“There is no difference among us, when it comes to Prajwal. Kumaraswamy is our leader, and we stand by his decision,” said a legislator.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
Also Read: ‘Threatened, blackmailed’ — JD(S) worker says Prajwal Revanna sexually abused her for over 3 yrs