AMIDST tall pine trees, paddy fields, Hoysala temples and melodies of Carnatic music lies South Karnataka. But days ahead of polling on April 26, the region looked deprived. The Cauvery River was running dry. So were the hopes of farmers.
Devoid of adequate rainfall for over six months, there was a palpable anger among parched farmers against the ruling Congress. “We want Devegowda back”, was the overall sentiment. The farmers had given their clarion call to support the Janata Dal (Secular), which has allied with the BJP in this election. Barely a few weeks after their fingers were inked, it rained heavily. And then, a political storm hit the state.
When a 47-year-old woman from Hassan in South Karnataka described in detail how she was allegedly sexually assaulted by the former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna, the grandeur that was attached to the regional party fell in the eyes of locals.
Since then, several complaints have surfaced against Revanna, accusing him of abusing multiple women. Pen drives reportedly containing videos of women being coerced into sex are doing the rounds in Hassan, and they allegedly contain visuals of Revanna as well. Police booked both Prajwal and his father, H D Revanna, for sexual harassment and criminal intimidation.
While Revanna is still absconding, the anger among Vokkaligas—the farming community—seems to have now shifted against the BJP-JD(S) combine. “The BJP knew of these complaints against Revanna months before the polls. How could they still give him a ticket?” ask farmer leaders from the Hassan district unit of the Karnataka Prantha Raita Sangha.
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