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On Saturday, when the members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) reached the house of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda to arrest his son HD Revanna, it was a denouement of sorts. The Padmanabhanagar house in Bengaluru has been a power center and fulcrum of state, and for a brief period, national politics too.
The residence commanded both envy, scorn, and respect amongst opponents and followers of the Gowda family, accustomed to getting visitors amongst the high and mighty. However, few would have imagined that cops would descend to arrest a family member.
For more than a year rumours had been swirling about the alleged sexual escapades of Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna, the sole Lok Sabha member of the party in the outgoing house. However a gag order he obtained from courts meant that nobody could say anything on record.
But after pendrives containing his alleged dalliances went viral, a few women came forward to formally accuse him of exploiting them. By that time, his seat had gone to the polls, and he had flown to Germany for a holiday.
This episode has set off tremors within Karnataka political circles, with some even questioning whether the 25-year-old party will survive the serious scandal facing members of its first family. 91-year-old family patriarch HD Deve Gowda suffers from kidney disease. Of his six children, two sons, Revanna and Kumaraswamy, apart from their sons Prajwal and Nikhil, respectively, are in politics, apart from various other relatives.
Even before the polls, JDS was clutching at the coattails of the BJP for survival, having got only 19 seats in the 224-member assembly in the last year’s polls. Kumaraswamy, who has been twice CM, has undergone multiple heart surgeries, including one just before the LS polls. With Revanna behind bars for allegedly abetting his son, questions are being raised about whether the party will survive its current challenges.
JDS spokesperson and party MLC T A Sharavana refused to comment when Businessline contacted him, citing that the matter is subjudice. However, another senior leader who did not want to be identified said, ‘The charges are very grave and affect the reputation of our party’s first family. With Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy not in the best of health, 10 of the 19 legislators had carried out a mini-revolt, insisting on the suspension of Prajwal and they had to agree to it. It pains me to see Appaji (as Gowda is fondly called) suffer because of the actions of his son and grandson.’
The JDS leader went onto claim that if the outcome of the LS polls was not favourable to NDA and JDS, the party may disintegrate. “Some of them are looking at Congress, and others at the BJP. Congress and BJP leaders refused to comment on the JDS future, saying it was too early,” political analyst Harish Ramaswamy said. split is possible, depending on how the investigations go. Survival maybe based on the outcome of the investigations.’
Another seasoned political watcher, Sandeep Shastri, said, “I will be hesitant to write off any political force. Yes, the Prajwal Revanna episode has damaged the party, and beyond doubt, it is a setback for the party. But does it therefore mean that the party goes into political oblivion? I would not take that stand. In the past, the JDS has bounced back from critical challenges it has faced.”
Political circles in the State, though, are agog that the outcome of the LS results on June 4 and investigations may decide the party’s future. For the first family of JDS, the challenge is to keep it as a going concern.
inputs by BL Intern by Nivasini Azagappan
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