Referring to the sexual abuse allegations against expelled JDS leader Prajwal Revanna, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated on Wednesday that the BJP cannot stand with those who commit atrocities against women.
Shah also accused the congress-led Karnataka government of failing to take action against the Hassan MP until after the Vokkaliga belt Lok Sabha elections.
As per PTI, Prajwal, the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and son of former minister H D Revanna, is contesting re-election from Hassan on the JD(S) ticket.
Shortly before the elections, explicit videos and photographs purportedly involving him surfaced on social media. Following this, the Karnataka government established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in response to a request from the Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary.
Revanna and Prajwal are facing charges filed by their former cook and relative for allegedly sexually harassing her. She alleged that Prajwal made objectionable video calls to her daughter, prompting her to block him.
“We (BJP) have an alliance with the JD(S). Now (Prajwal) Revanna’s CD has come. They (Congress) thought they could corner the BJP. I am making it clear here BJP cannot remain with those who commit atrocities against women,” Shah said, PTI reported.
He highlighted that Congress is in power in the state and it could have taken action. “You did not initiate any action till the elections in the Vokkaliga belt were over. You did politics and allowed him (Prajwal Revanna) to escape. If you have guts tell the truth. Because of you, a heinous criminal fled the country,” Shah also said.
Shah On Karnataka Govt
Vokkaliga, the predominant community in southern Karnataka, holds sway in the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies that went to polls on April 26. The remaining 14 seats will vote on May 7.
He also blamed Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for politicising the drought relief issue.
Shah claimed that the Karnataka government's internal discord between the CM and Deputy CM delayed the submission of requests for drought relief funds, leading to the delay in disbursal. “I want to tell you why there was a delay in releasing drought relief funds. The Chief Minister and his Deputy D K Shivakumar fight with each other. The Deputy CM tries to pull down the CM... They caused the delay in submitting the request,” the Union Minister claimed.
He mentioned that three memoranda have been written by the Karnataka government.
Shah claimed that the Congress government was making untrue charges against the BJP and that this was the reason why the central aid had not been released by the time the third memorandum arrived because the model code of conduct had already taken effect.
In order to combat the drought that was affecting 226 of the state's 236 Taluks, the Karnataka government requested Rs 18,171 crore from the Center through the National Disaster Response Fund. However, after filing a lawsuit amid the election, it was granted Rs 3,454 crore.
Shah, taking aim at the Rameswaram Cafe explosion, claimed that a blast occurred in Bengaluru city shortly after the Congress took power, which the Siddaramaiah government initially referred to as a "cylinder explosion." He referred to the Neha Hiremath murder case when he said that Congress ought to resign and allow the BJP to govern the state more effectively if it was unable to defend its citizens.
He also took strong exception to the alleged Pakistan Zindabad slogans raised in the Vidhana Soudha corridors on February 27.
Highlighting the 2024 Lok Sabha election between two camps, Shah said, “On the one hand there is a brother and a sister who go abroad on vacation and there is a person (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) who did not take any leave in the last 23 years and celebrates Deepavali with soldiers.”
The Union Minister attacked the Congress, claiming that even though the PFI was outlawed by the central government, the historic party continued to receive backing from the SDPI, its political wing.
The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) extended support for the Congress-led UDF in Kerala in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Shah expressed that if Modi were to serve a third term, it would signify the eradication of terrorism and naxalism, propelling India to become the third-largest economy globally.