Kumaraswamy Reopens Controversy 2016 Death Of Siddaramaiah's Son, CM Calls It 'Foolishness'

Rakesh Siddaramaiah died due to multiple organ failure in Belgium on July 30, 2016, during Siddaramaiah's first tenure as Chief Minister.

Senior JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday reignited a controversy by questioning why Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did not order a probe into the death of his son, Rakesh Siddaramaiah, in a foreign country eight years ago. Rakesh Siddaramaiah died due to multiple organ failure in Belgium on July 30, 2016, during Siddaramaiah's first tenure as Chief Minister. Kumaraswamy’s statement drew a sharp response from Siddaramaiah, who labeled it as "foolishness" to bring up his son's death for political reasons.

Kumaraswamy lashed out at Siddaramaiah following the latter’s comment that Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna fled the country with the knowledge of his family members, including his grandfather, H.D. Deve Gowda. Kumaraswamy accused Siddaramaiah of failing to uncover the truth in the sexual abuse case involving Prajwal Revanna and keeping the issue alive for political gain.

Addressing reporters, Kumaraswamy said, "The Chief Minister's son also went abroad and met with an accident. What event was he attending? Did he have Siddaramaiah's permission?" He questioned why there was no probe into Rakesh's death and why it was covered up. Kumaraswamy also demanded details about the people who accompanied Rakesh on his foreign trip in 2016.

Kumaraswamy further alleged that the sexual abuse case against Prajwal Revanna was being used to politically "finish off" his family.

In response, Siddaramaiah said, "Rakesh died eight years ago. It is his (Kumaraswamy's) foolishness to raise Rakesh's case now." He accused Kumaraswamy of exploiting his son's death for political purposes.

Siddaramaiah retorted, "What is the connection between Rakesh's death and Prajwal's case? His (Kumaraswamy's) nephew is a rapist," referring to the allegations against Prajwal Revanna.

Addressing Kumaraswamy's claim that sharing and uploading videos online is a crime, Siddaramaiah asked under which section of the Indian Penal Code this would be an offense. He acknowledged that sharing videos without blurring the victims' faces is an offense but questioned how Kumaraswamy could equate Rakesh's death with the Prajwal rape case. "I want to know under which section of IPC or any criminal law, it (Rakesh's death) is an offense," he added.