By now, we have heard, read and seen the Member of Parliament from Janata Dal (Secular), Prajwal Revanna, turn into a sexual predator. He has put a different kind of ‘S’ in JD(S). His acts of sexual exploitation are disturbing to say the least.
Yesterday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, with an air of dare and defiance, said the State Government would bring Prajwal Revanna back to Karnataka to face the law, no matter where he is or which country he may be in.
While discussing ‘bringing back Prajwal Revanna,’ one must ask: Is Prajwal the only offending party?
The leaked video clips have un-blurred footage of over 70 women. These clips will destroy the families of the women involved.
Prajwal may have exploited the women, but it was the person who leaked the video that destroyed them.
It is alleged that the video clips were handed over to Prajwal’s rivals, in both BJP and Congress, by Prajwal’s disgruntled driver.
After that, pen drives loaded with sex clips were thrown on walking paths, on bus seats, around colleges and even at boys’ hostels in Hassan.
So, will the Congress party investigate who invested in buying pen drives, took the time to make copies and drizzle this ‘political porn’ all over Hassan?
It is evident that it is a politically motivated video release. The clips were available in 2023 itself, but they were kept safe until a few days before the 2024 elections.
Politicians were so blinded by the political advantage this video would generate that they didn’t give a damn about the women in the videos as their un-blurred images were disseminated with reckless abandon.
Even the Women’s Commission, well-known NGOs, vociferous liberals and aggressive human rights activists have curiously remained silent instead of demanding the hunt and arrest of the people who leaked the video.
Meanwhile, some say these women gave their consent to perform sexual acts with Prajwal, so they are not victims!
This was seen in the case of the 47-year-old domestic help whom Prajwal sexually exploited. In a press conference, her family blamed her for ‘going to him.’
The poor lady tolerated the abuse so she could feed her children and her family, and now the same family wants to abandon her!
Many forget that a lack of visible protest does not automatically mean consent. In fact, it was just silent compliance. These women did not protest and instead complied because of their circumstances — Prajwal had the power to dictate their livelihood.
Prajwal will definitely come back and surrender. Cases will be booked. The case will go on for years, witnesses will turn hostile, Governments will change and Prajwal will be back, if not in politics, then back to his good old life. But what will happen to the women in the video?
These women are mothers and wives. Many may end up being hated by their children and even lose them to a divorce.
Many will be abandoned and thrown out of their homes. Many will be shunned by their family, friends and community. Many will have to leave their cities and start a new life elsewhere.
These women will one day be grandmothers and probably, they will not be allowed to see their grand-children, let alone play with them.
Who will save the children of these women from a lifetime of trauma caused by shame and taunts?
The reputation of 70 families for generations to come has been destroyed. Worse, there is no end in sight because the videos will remain forever on the World Wide Web.
Who will pay the price for this? Will the politicians, who are exploiting these videos, help these women?
Our politicians have used these women as pawns. They are cruel men. Devoid of empathy but rich in hypocrisy as they peddle phrases like ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ and ‘Nari Shakti.’
Prajwal may have raped these women, as the CM alleged yesterday, but the people who leaked the videos signed their death warrant. Already, three have attempted suicide.
If CM Siddaramaiah cares. If the Congress party has a conscience, then it must investigate who leaked the videos, find them and convict them, for they have done far worse damage to these women and their children than Prajwal did.
If the CM wants justice done, he must track down the people who leaked this video, who may be in Karnataka, with as much vigour he expressed when talking about bringing back Prajwal from Germany.
P.S.: Advantage BJP – Congress?
This sex video scandal could spell the end for Janata Dal (Secular), which means Karnataka will only have two political parties — BJP and Congress.
The JD(S) may disintegrate if pressure builds on Prajwal and H.D. Revanna, his father.
Revanna, who is said to be close to Siddaramaiah, may compromise and join the Congress to save his son, while his brother Kumaraswamy may join the BJP to secure his son’s future in politics.
This could be good news for BJP and Congress as they will no longer be at the mercy of the Gowda family, the proprietors of JD(S), who tend to play the ‘King Maker’ with just a few seats.
More importantly, the disappearance of JD(S) could split the decisive Vokkaliga vote in the Old Mysore region. The big question then will be: Which party will the Vokkaligas vote for if their traditional party, JD(S), disintegrates? Be assured, BJP and Congress are having an eye on this pie!
e-mail: vikram@starofmysore.com
This post was published on May 4, 2024 7:05 pm