Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has claimed that former prime minister HD Deve Gowda helped his grandson Janata Dal Secular MP Prajwal Revanna flee to Germany last month amid allegations of sexual assault.
"I think Deve Gowda himself sent Prajwal. The letter now written by him is only for public consumption," he said, taking a swipe at a public letter shared by the former PM on Thursday, warning his grandson to surrender or face the "anger of the family."
In his letter, shared on X, the former PM said he had warned his grandson to return to India "immediately" and not to "test my patience any further."
"I spoke to the media about Prajwal Revanna on 18 May when I was headed to the temple to offer pooja. It took me some time to recover from the shock and pain he has inflicted on me, my entire family, my colleagues, friends and party workers. I have already said that he should be given the harshest punishment under the law if found guilty. My son and former Karnataka Chief Minister, Shri. H.D Kumaraswamy, has advocated this line since the day the scandal broke," he wrote.
Over the past month, Siddaramaiah has written several letters to PM Modi, urging the Centre to cancel his diplomatic passport, which he allegedly used to flee the country. "He has abused his diplomatic privileges to flee the country and to escape criminal proceedings," Siddaramaiah said.
The 33-year-old NDA candidate from Karnataka's Hassan had left the country on April 27, a day after polls concluded in the constituency.
Revanna, has been accused of sexually assaulting several women and filming the act, sparking widespread outrage. Several videos of the alleged assaults surfaced last month after which Karnataka police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) began a probe in the case.
A Blue Corner notice, which enables Interpol to share alerts and requests for information worldwide, has been issued to track Revanna.
Siddaramaiah Says Karnataka BJP Chief Took Bribe In Waqf Scam, He Responds Insisting On Belagavi's Merger With Maharashtra "Foolishness": Siddaramaiah Karnataka Orders Inquiry Into Maternal Deaths Linked To Ringer Lactate Solution Suspected Car Attack On German Christmas Market Injures Up To 80 Tabla Legend Zakir Hussain's Funeral Held In San Francisco Video: Bird's-Eye View Of Devastation After Jaipur Accident That Killed 12 Volkswagen To Cut 35,000 Jobs In Germany By 2030 Suspected Car Attack On German Christmas Market Injures Up To 80 16-Year-Old JEE Student From Bihar Found Hanging From Fan In Kota: Police Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.