"Why is Kumaraswamy changing his stand on pen drive case frequently?" asks Karnataka Deputy CM Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday questioned former Chief Minister Kumaraswamy's changing stand on the 'pen drive case.'

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday questioned former Chief Minister Kumaraswamy's changing stand on the 'pen drive case.' Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence, he said, "Pen drive issue is a matter concerning their family. But why is Kumaraswamy changing his stand on the issue so frequently? In fact, Kumaraswamy has been giving different statements on his family matters since Assembly elections."

Asked about Kumaraswamy's statement that everyone knows the fate of the pen drive case after May 7, Mr Shivakumar said, "Why wait till May 7? Do we need to reveal the origin of the pen drive? It is their family matter but the media has analysed it. Kumaraswamy himself had said that his family was different from Revanna's family and added that those who do wrong will have to face consequences. It was Kumaraswamy who said that the ticket would not be given to his family members and it was the same Kumaraswamy who sought forgiveness for Prajwal. Why is he changing his stance so often?" Asked about rumours that 12 JDS MLAs would join Congress in view of Prajwal Revanna's sex abuse case, he said, "It is not correct. No JDS MLA is in touch with me. It is natural that the MLAs would be frustrated, but I am not in discussions with anyone."

Replying to a query on the election campaign, he said, "Priyanka Gandhi is campaigning in Davanagere and Gadag today. We are getting favourable feedback across constituencies. Congress is likely to win more seats in North Karnataka than South Karnataka. When asked if scandals are a result of the fight for Vokkaliga leadership, he said, "These rumours are created by the BJP. Congress party gave me the leadership position four years ago, I do not want any leadership. I am born as a Vokkaliga and it is my responsibility to protect my community. I am striving to uphold the self-respect and esteem of the community. It is my dharma, I don't want any leadership."

Replying to Shivaramegowda's statement that Revanna was involved in a similar incident in England 30 years ago, he said, "I have heard of that news. I have also heard that Revanna was evicted from the hotel. But, I don't have much information." Responding to the question of how many seats Congress will win in the second phase of elections in the State, he said that they are expecting to win 12 seats from the second phase.

"I will talk about it once the campaigning is over," he added. Kumaraswamy said that DK Shivakumar and his brother DK Suresh were behind the release of Prajwal Revanna's pen drive. Kumaraswamy accused Shivakumar of hatching the conspiracy of circulating the videos in public and then setting up the SIT to probe into the matter.

Notably, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Prime Minister Modi, requesting him to direct the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs to cancel the diplomatic passport issued to Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna and ensure his return to face the law. In his letter, Siddaramaiah said, "While the SIT is working round the clock to investigate the allegations of crimes against several women by Prajwal Revanna, getting him back to the country is of utmost importance so that he faces investigation and trial as per the law of the land."

The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged obscene video case against Prajwal Revanna. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha seats and elections in the state are being held in two phases. Voting for 14 seats concluded on April 26 and the remaining 14 seats will undergo polling on May 7. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.

In 2019, BJP almost swept the state by winning 25 out of 28 seats, while Congress and JD-S -- who were running a coalition government in the state -- could only win one seat each. This time BJP and JD-S are in coalition with the former fighting on 25 seats, while the latter is contesting three seats. (ANI)

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