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Prajwal has emerged as Deve Gowda’s Achilles heel

  • JD(S) leader Deve Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna has publicly taken him on, challenging his decision
  • A day after his outburst against the party leadership, Gowda said that he would take disciplinary action against his grandson
  • While Prajwal wants to contest from Hunsur, Gowda has categorically refused to field him from the constituency
  • Though he has been silenced for now, rumours are rife that he might cause trouble for the party as he has threatened to contest as an Independent from Hunsur
  • Kumaraswamy’s detractors have seconded Prajwal’s “suitcase culture” statement - say that it very much exists in the party 
Prajwal has emerged as Deve Gowdas Achilles heel

JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda had never imagined that his own family member would one day raise a banner of revolt against him, and dent the party’s prospects in the process.Unfortunately for the octogenarian, that day has come with his own grandson Prajwal Revanna vilifying the party leadership on a public platform. 

Following Prajwal’s outburst during a party meeting in Hunsur on Thursday, the party has gone into damage control mode. The 26-year-old had not only vented his anguish for being refused a ticket to contest from Hunsur, he had also alleged that his party thrived on the “suitcase culture”. 

Serious accusations nevertheless - directed straight at Gowda and his uncle H D Kumaraswamy, who are JD(S)’s national and State presidents, respectively. The trigger for Prajwal’s statements, is the recent meeting he had with Gowda, where the latter categorically refused to field him from the said constituency. On Tuesday (July 4), Gowda had paid a visit to his son H D Revanna’s Bengaluru residence, where he sat Prajwal down for a talk. The youngster has remained adamant about contesting from Hunsur. 

Gowda is learnt to have advised Prajwal to back off from the constituency, as the party had decided to field the new entrant A H Vishwanath from there. The party had already refused to field MLA G T Deve Gowda’s son Harish Gowda who was too vying for a ticket from the same constituency. If Prajwal were to be considered despite all these developments, the party would be setting a bad precedent. 

Party sources said that Prajwal however insisted that a survey be conducted in Hunsur to assess the pulse of the workers -- whether they wanted Vishwanath, Harish or him to contest from the constituency. But when Gowda didn’t budge, Prajwal resorted to expressing his discontent before the party workers.  

Prajwal’s anger is also targeted at Kumaraswamy, who according to party insiders, was the one to scuttle his nephew’s chances to contest from Hunsur. Gowda too is not keen on his grandson entering the fray at this juncture as he wants him to contest the next Lok Sabha elections. 

On Friday, a suitably upset Gowda said that Prajwal’s statements had hut him. The former prime minister went as far as saying that he would take disciplinary action against Prajwal. Conceding that Prajwal was politically ambitious, Gowda however said that his reaction was unwarranted. 

Stating that politics was no child’s play, Gowda said that he was the ultimate decision maker of the party. “I am deeply pained by Prajwal’s statements on the briefcase culture in the party - I can’t even digest it. I have never indulged in briefcase politics, nor have I tried to amass wealth through politics. I have in fact contested elections by borrowing money. It’s pertinent to maintain discipline if we have to save the party. There is no point in Prajwal getting so excitable - such statements will damage his future prospects. It will be a mistake if I don’t take action against him. If there is no discipline in the party, I will not hesitate to take action -- even if he is my son or grandson,” he said.

In the same breath, Gowda however said that he will “take steps” against Prajwal only if he fails to mend his ways in future. He added that Prajwal was being misguided by three to four people, who were responsible for the latest development. Gowda also said that it is unlikely for him to contest the next Parliamentary elections, given his old age -- indicating that he wants Prajwal to replace him in Hassan.

Earlier in the day, a hapless Revanna, caught between his son and father, had said that Prajwal’s remarks should not be taken seriously. “Prajwal has had an outburst. But this doesn’t mean that there are differences in the party -- we are all united. There is no no need to pay heed to his statements. Deve Gowda’s decision is final - he will decide who has to contest from where in the upcoming elections,” he added. 

While Kumaraswamy has stayed away from the brewing controversy, his detractors however had a field day.
Rebel candidates Zameer Ahmed Khan and H C Balakrishna, who have been suspended from JD(S) for anti party activities, endorsed Prajwal’s statement about the suitcase culture.  

Maintaining that Gowda had never resorted to such measures, Khan however said that the same applied to Kumaraswamy. “Prajwal’s statements are true. Kumaraswamy can never tolerate the rise of any other political leader in his party. When he can’t tolerate the growth of Prajwal, who is like his son, how can he let people like us grow? Deve Gowda has never indulged in suitcase politics, but the same cannot be said for Kumaraswamy,” he said. He also said that Gowda and Kumaraswamy were never on the same page when it came to ticket distribution, which was the primary cause for discontent among party leaders.

At the moment, Gowda has a lot on his plate. There are rumours that Prajwal has threatened to contest from Hunsur as an Independent, if the party fails to yield to his demands. In addition to this, Gowda’s two daughters-in-law - Bhavani Revanna and Anitha Kumaraswamy are adamant that they too be given tickets to contest the elections. 

So far Gowda has maintained that only two members (Kumaraswamy and Revanna) from his family will contest the elections. But given the brewing tension in the family, Gowda may change his mind. He has said that he will not let the party affairs have a bearing on his family.
 

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