New Delhi: Karnataka lawmaker Prajwal Revanna - who fled to Germany last month, shortly after horrific sex crimes allegations by women who said he forced them into sexual acts - released a statement, claiming comments and "political drama" by opposition leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, "drove me to depression and I was pushed into isolation".
"I apologise to my parents... I was in depression. I will come (back to India) and appear before the SIT (a special investigative team set up by the state government) on May 31," Revanna said.
"I will cooperate to the best of my abilities and provide all answers. I have full faith in the legal system (and) I will come out of these false cases against me. I have the blessings of God and my family..."
On May 1, four days after he fled the country, Revanna posted a message on X. He said, "I am not in Bengaluru... I have communicated (to the police) through my lawyer. The truth will prevail soon."
Revanna is a Janata Dal (Secular) leader and the grandson of party patriarch and ex-Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, and nephew of senior leader and ex-Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
He is also the sitting MP from Karnataka's Hassan Lok Sabha seat, which he has been nominated to defend in the 2024 general election. The JDS is allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP.
Revanna's message - his first public comment on charges against him - comes after a warning from Deve Gowda, who told his grandson to return home and surrender "or face your family's anger".
Deve Gowda said he had warned Revanna to "not test my patience" and that it took him time to recover from the "shock and pain". The former Prime Minister - targeted by the ruling Congress, former allies turned political rivals, over claims it was he who sent Revanna abroad - stressed he had called for "the harshest punishment under the law" for his grandson "if (he is) found guilty..."
The ex-Chief Minister last week also appealed to his nephew. "I have openly appealed to him... told him, 'if you have respect for the party and Deve Gowda, come back...' Cooperate with the probe. If you have not done anything prove it. If you have, then face the punishment," Revanna was told.
Revanna's return home may be complicated by the fact the Ministry of External Affairs is set to cancel his diplomatic passport. A request to this effect has been made by the state government.
