Pressure up on Prajwal; cancel passport, urges CM Siddu to PM Modi

New Delhi, NT Bureau: Trouble mounted on Thursday for Prajwal Revanna, facing allegations of sexually abusing several women, with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second time to cancel the diplomatic passport of the suspended JD (S) MP, and the MEA saying it was processing the request for revocation of his passport.

Reacting to the Karnataka Chief Minister's second missive to the Prime Minister, Union minister Pralhad Joshi said there is a process to cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal, and asserted the Centre is ready to cooperate in bringing him back to the country.

In New Delhi, official sources said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has received a letter from the Karnataka government seeking revocation of Revanna's diplomatic passport.

"The MEA has received a letter from the Karnataka government for cancellation of diplomatic passport in respect of MP Prajwal Revanna. This is being processed," a source said.

The MEA's explanation came in the wake of Siddaramaiah's second missive to PM Modi on the issue, urging him to take "prompt and necessary" actions to cancel Prajwal's diplomatic passport.

In his letter to Modi, the chief minister said it was "shameful that Prajwal, a Member of Parliament from Hassan constituency, who is also contesting for reelection in the present general elections, and who is the grandson of a former Prime Minister, fled the country, the 27th of April, 2024 to Germany using his diplomatic passport... shortly after news of his heinous actions emerged and just a few hours before the first FIR was filed against him."

The Chief Minister, who had written to the PM on May 1 on the subject, further said the Karnataka government has taken prompt action to meet the ends of justice by setting up a special team to probe the matter.

Earlier, Pralhad Joshi told reporters that "there is a process to get him (Prajwal) back from abroad and the Government of India is ready to extend cooperation to the state government by following necessary processes in accordance with the law."

Attacking the Karnataka government, he questioned why it did not file a case and detain Prajwal before he flew abroad. Joshi also accused the Congress dispensation of trying to blame the Centre and playing politics on the issue. He was responding to a question on Siddarmaiah's second letter to Modi.

"There is a process to cancel diplomatic passports... so far Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar (deputy CM) and Parameshwara (Home Minister) have not responded to my question."

"The first pen drive containing explicit clippings involving Prajwal came out on April 21 and Prajwal Revanna left abroad on April 27. Were they guarding donkeys for seven days? Why didn't you file an FIR and detain him," Joshi asked.