Speculation continues on ‘toppling’ govt.
Amid a political slugfest over the alleged sexual abuse case involving Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, Opposition BJP and JD(S) leaders have been building a narrative on the possibility of collapse of the Congress government in Karnataka after the Lok Sabha election results on June 4, which seems as of now like a pipedream given the overwhelming majority the party enjoys with 136 MLAs. However, in a move to discredit the government in the public, JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy has claimed that the Congress would not only lose Karnataka but is under the illusion of securing power at the Centre.
Taking a jibe at the JD(S) leader’s statement, Minister for Industries M.B. Patil said Mr. Kumaraswamy was “daydreaming” and the Opposition needed a large number of legislators to trigger the collapse of the government in Karnataka. The JD(S), he said, was battling with multiple sexual abuse cases, and not a single MLA would join the Opposition rank to topple the government. Many JD(S) leaders are in touch with the Congress, claimed Mr. Patil, and exuded confidence of winning at least 20 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.
Reward for Prajwal’s location
Hassan MP Prajwan Revanna, allegedly involved in multiple sexual abuse cases, has been “absconding” since April 27, a day after he cast his vote in the first phase of elections in the Hassan district. He reportedly flew to a European country. Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice against him.
However, taking a jibe at the State and Central governments, who have not been able to secure Mr. Prajwal Revanna for the last 15 days, the Rajya Janata Party announced a prize of ₹1 lakh for those who provide information about the whereabouts of the MP. The police, however, acted swiftly and arrested a person in connection with the reward and removed the posters on Saturday.
‘Misleading video’ has Eshwarappa upset
The former BJP Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, who contested as an Independent candidate for the Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat, has said he lost some votes due to a “misleading” campaign by the BJP at the last minute. Hours before the polling, BJP workers allegedly posted a video clip on their social media accounts in which Mr. Eshwarappa was seen campaigning for BJP candidate B.Y. Raghavendra. The post was uploaded around 11 p.m. on May 6, while the polling was scheduled for the next morning.
Mr. Eshwarappa was furious as he learnt about the development. He addressed a press conference to condemn this act. Later in the day, he met the Deputy Commissioner to lodge a formal complaint. He also approached the police for a probe into the issue. However, nothing much came of it all.
He continued to voice his protest and even claimed that “many Congressmen” had vowed to vote for him which he missed after the video went viral. He was referring to Congress leader Ayanur Manjunath’s statement. When Mr. Eshwarappa announced that he would contest as an Independent, Mr. Manjunath said he doubted if the former was serious. He had also rhetorically said he would vote for Mr. Eshwarappa, if at all he remained in the fray. Mr. Eshwarappa remained in the fray, but no one knows if Mr. Manjunath voted for him.
