Janata Dal (Secular) on Tuesday suspended Prajwal Revanna, the party’s MP in Hassan, who has been accused of sexually exploiting several women. The decision was announced after the party’s core committee meeting in Huballi, which was scheduled to chalk out the poll strategy for the second phase of elections in Karnataka.
Pen drives that show alleged acts of sexual exploitation by the member of Parliament in question have been in circulation in Hassan even prior to elections on April 26, embarrassing the party and also the Bharatiya Janata Party with which it had aligned for the Lok Sabha election.
The party was under pressure to take action against the MP, whose alleged acts are now being probed by a Special Investigation Team set up by the Karnataka government after the State Women Commission wrote to it on the issue.
In the letter announcing his suspension, the party stated that the videos doing the rounds have “caused considerable damage to the party’s dignity and leadership”. Prajwal Revanna is believed to be out of India. Opposition members are asking how he was allowed to leave the country.
On Tuesday, addressing presspersons in Hubballi, AICC spokesperson Supriya Srinate accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of being mute spectators despite knowing everything and now allowing him to flee the country after the videos surfaced.
