HDK alleges Karnataka government knew rape convict Prajwal Revanna had phone in prison, used issue to divert attention from KPSC scam, Bidadi and NICE projects

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Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy | Photo Credit: File photo

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy has said he will continue to raise his voice against the government of Karnataka and will soon divulge details of an issue that could attract nationwide attention. He claimed that the government of Karnataka knew all along that his nephew and former MP, Prajwal Revanna, a rape convict, had a mobile phone in prison, but had highlighted the issue now to take the spotlight away from the KPSC scam, and the Bidadi and NICE projects.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to the Ranganatha Swamy temple at Mavinakere in Holenarasipur taluk of Hassan on September 15, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he had spoken about raising certain issues after returning from a trip to the U.S. “I will speak without fear or hesitation. Whatever issues I raise, I raise in the interest of the State, not out of any personal envy towards anyone,” he said.

The former Chief Minister said he knew how his statements had left many people in Karnataka sleepless. “I have come here to seek the blessings of Lord Ranganatha Swamy to continue my fight against injustices in Karnataka. The pillars of the Constitution — the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, and the fourth estate, the media — have to take these issues forward,” he said.

Stating that he would not make any comment without valid documents to back it, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he would soon divulge details of an issue that deserved nationwide attention. He hinted that Vijayadashami, the festival in October, would be the right time to share the details.

Referring to his nephew and former MP Prajwal Revanna allegedly being found in possession of a mobile phone in the Central prison at Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru, Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that the State Government had brought up the issue only to divert public attention from pressing matters such as irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), the farmers’ protest over land acquisition for the Bidadi township, and the court’s order on the NICE project.

“Did the government not know that he was in possession of the phone earlier? Even those arrested on the charge of pickpocketing have access to a phone in the Central prison. Why did the government not act all these days? Who gave him the phone in the first place, and how did his phone come to have so many obscene videos? Who sent them to his phone?” he asked, alleging that the State government was trying ‘to silence him and his family in the name of that boy (Prajwal Revanna)’.

Responding to a question, Mr. Kumaraswamy said that in the early days of the present Congress government, he had displayed a pen drive but had not disclosed its contents on the advice of some elders. “It was not an empty pen drive. In fact, it carried a conversation between two engineers discussing the amount paid for a posting. The conversation pointed towards the current Chief Minister. However, I did not disclose the contents on the advice of some experienced people who suggested I wait for an appropriate time. It is outdated now. If you want, I can share it,” he said.

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