'PRAJWAL RAPED 400 WOMEN'

NT Bureau, Agencies

Shivamogga/Raichur: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claims that Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna had raped 400 women and made their videos, and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of helping him to flee the country.

He demanded registering a case against Home Minister Amit Shah alleging that he was aware of the case following a letter by a BJP leader to him about the activities of Prajwal and his father and former minister H D Revanna.

Addressing election rallies in Shivamogga and Raichur, Gandhi alleged that the prime minister was in the know about the sex scandal and he could have got Prajwal arrested within seconds but allowed him to flee the country.

Prajwal, grandson of former PM and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda, is facing allegations of sexually abusing women.

Scores of explicit video clips allegedly involving the 33-yearold MP have started making the rounds in Hassan in recent days.

He was the NDA candidate in the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency where polling was held on April 26. Gandhi said a BJP leader wrote a letter to Shah stating that Prajwal was raping women but no action was taken.

"This is not a sex scandal, it's mass rape," he alleged.

"The PM should also apologise to the mothers and sisters of India. Prajwal Revanna rapes 400 women and makes videos. This is not a sex scandal but mass rape," the former Congress president alleged.

"If Amit Shah knew this, then the prime minister also knew it. Why is Modi protecting him (Prajwal), why is he promoting him and why is he seeking vote for him?" the Congress leader asked.

He said Shah allowed Prajwal to flee the country despite knowing about him.

"All the agencies were with them, such as CBI, Customs, Immigration and ED. The PM knew about it, he could have arrested him (Prajwal) in a second, which he did not do and allowed him to flee," Gandhi charged.

"The women of Karnataka know that you protected Prajwal Revanna because you wanted power and alliance. The PM and HM, the two people who control the nation, protected him," the former Congress president alleged.

"This is the difference between our and their (BJP) ideology. They (BJP) can do anything for power. There is no limit. There is no meaning to the pains and sufferings of women," he said.

Gandhi said Modi has to answer every woman of the country, why he protected Prajwal.