Bengaluru (Karnataka): Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna was suspended from the Janata Dal (Secular) on Tuesday amid a row over explicit videos allegedly showing him sexually assaulting multiple women.
"We welcome SIT against Prajwal Revanna. We've taken a decision to recommend our party's national president to suspend him from the party till the SIT investigation is completed, " JD(S) core committee president GT Devegowda said.
"His (Prajwal Revanna) suspension is till the investigation is completed," former Karnataka CM and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Karnataka BJP president Vijayendra Yediyurappa stated that his party will not support any accused in the case. "The stand of BJP is clear. No political party can support in this case and the state government (present Karnataka Congress govt) has already constituted an SIT, so the investigation will continue. Neither BJP nor JD(S) is supporting this case. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has categorically said that the BJP is with 'Matr shakti'; it's upto the sitting state government to take this investigation forward. I am even told that the JD(S) party is also taking a clear stand and they are going to expelled Prajwal Revanna," Yediyurappa said.
The police on Sunday booked Prajwal and his father -- JD(S) MLA and former minister H D Revanna -- for sexual harassment and criminal intimidation based on a complaint from a woman, who worked in their household. Prajwal (33) is the BJP-JD(S) alliance candidate for the Hassan Lok Sabha seat, which went to polls on April 26.
The scandal involves hundreds of explicit videos that were allegedly shot by the Revanna and were circulated widely in the Hassan constituency. The complainant also claimed that the MP also misbehaved with her daughter over a video call and had "vulgar conversations" with her.
BJP says it will push for full might of law against accused
The BJP welcomed the decision of the JD(S) to suspend its MP Prajwal Revanna, asserting that it will push for the full might of law against the accused in the case of alleged sex scandal. Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar told reporters that the BJP has zero tolerance towards crimes against women, while accusing the Congress of double standards and being selective on the issue.
"If the Congress government in Karnataka was aware of the case for weeks and months, then why did it not act so far against the accused," he asked. The JD(S) on Tuesday suspended its Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna over the alleged sex scandal.
Police on Sunday booked Prajwal Revanna and his father, JD(S) MLA and former minister H D Revanna for sexual harassment and criminal intimidation based on a complaint from a woman, who worked in their household. Chandrasekhar cited the Sandeshkhali case and the killing of Neha Hiremath, daughter of a Congress leader in Karnataka, and accused the party of seeking to selectively pick crimes and victims to speak on.
The BJP leader, who contested against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, also claimed that history will be made on June 4, when votes for the Lok Sabha polls will be counted. The BJP has performed extremely strongly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and its overall tally from south India will be closer to 60 this time, he said. (With agency inputs)
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