"If You Have Respect...": HD Kumaraswamy's Fresh Appeal To Prajwal Revanna

Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday once again appealed to his nephew and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexually abusing women, to return from abroad and face investigation.

The former chief minister said there are no differences between his party and its alliance partner, the BJP, over the allegations against Prajwal Revanna. "This case has nothing to do with the alliance," he said.

Mr Revanna is the grandson of JDS patriarch and former PM HD Deve Gowda and is the NDA's candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency.

The MP reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after the Hassan segment went to polls, and is still at large.

A 'Blue Corner Notice' seeking information on his whereabouts has already been issued by the Interpol, following a request by the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A Special Court for Elected Representatives issued an arrest warrant on Saturday against Prajwal Revanna, following an application moved by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the state government to probe the serial sex abuse charges against the MP.

"When he (Mr Revanna) was in Karnataka, he never came to me, now that he is somewhere abroad will he come to my contact?" Mr Kumaraswamy told reporters here in response to a question whether he was making any attempts to find Mr Revanna and bring him back using his sources.

Admitting that the delay in Mr Revanna's return has caused damage to his party and the family's reputation, the JDS state President said, "I have openly appealed to him -- if you have respect for the party, its karyakartas, and Deve Gowda come back from wherever you are. Come back first and cooperate with the SIT's probe....If you have not done anything wrong come and prove, if you have committed wrong then bow down and face the punishment."

"Following my appeal, I'm hopeful that he (Mr Revanna) will come back.... Don't take advice from any advocates on this matter. To save his morality he has to come back from wherever he is, this is my demand," he added.

To another query, he said Mr Revanna was neither in touch with his father and MLA H D Revanna nor with anyone.

"Where will I go search for him? If I go abroad, they will say I have gone to save Prajwal... he is not in contact with anyone, with the advice of some advocates all these things have happened. In case, I had come to know about him leaving for abroad on April 27, I would have stopped him," he said.

"Prajwal had sought a week's time to appear before SIT, but it was denied and another rape case was filed against him. With all this he might be afraid (to come back)," he said.

Reacting to reports that some businessman was helping Mr Revanna, Mr Kumaraswamy said, "I'm not aware of it. No businessman comes to me, only people wanting to share their difficulties come to me." He also alleged that the Congress government in the state has planned to finish off the Deve Gowda family politically, with such cases.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)