Karnataka BJP chief denies receiving letter from party leader on sex tapes

Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra has said that BJP leader and lawyer Devaraje Gowda's claim of sending him a letter on the explicit video clips allegedly involving JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna was "patently false". Vijayendra said he never had any knowledge of the videos even as the alleged sex scandal came as a setback to the BJP and its ally JD(S) amid the Lok Sabha polls.

"Lawyer Devaraje Gowda's claim of sending me a letter on the videos is patently false. No such letter has reached me nor did I have any knowledge of the videos," he said in a post on X.

Devaraje Gowda had claimed that he got access to the videos through Prajwal's former driver. Gowda claimed that he sent a letter to BY Vijayendra earlier this year, urging the BJP not to give a ticket to Prajwal from the Hassan Lok Sabha ticket.

Warning of political repercussions, Gowda also claimed that Congress leaders were in possession of a pen drive containing similar videos.

In his tweet, Vijayendra also said Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had knowledge about the videos but waited for the Lok Sabha elections to make them public.

"If he had known about the videos, why didn't the Congress government order investigations immediately? Why wait till the elections?" he said.

"And, why take to the streets now when it is your government in the state, and you have the power to order an investigation and take action? Why this drama? The Congress government must answer to the people," the Karnataka BJP chief further said.

The JD(S) has suspended Prajwal, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's grandson, after the sexual abuse videos started doing the rounds last week. Prajwal, who contested the polls from Hassan, has reportedly left the country for Germany.

Besides, a woman who worked in Prajwal's household, accused the MP and his father - JD(S) MLA and former minister HD Revanna - of sexual harassment. A case has been registered against the duo.

The two leaders have been issued notices by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has been set up by the government to probe the case.