Why Congress in Karnataka not taking action against Prajwal Revanna: Amit Shah

Guwahati: Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said BJP is in favour of an investigation into the controversy over purported sex video featuring JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna and asked why the Congress government in Karnataka did not take any action into the case yet.

"BJP's stand is very clear, we are with the Nari Shakti (women power) of the country. It is the commitment of Narendra Modi government that no insult to Nari Shakti will be tolerated. But the Congress party is trying to level allegations against us," said Amit Shah.

"I want to ask them whose government is there in Karnataka? It is the Congress government. Why has Congress not taken any action so far? We don't have to take action because law and order is a subject of the state," Shah said when asked about Congress' allegations, during a press conference in Guwahati.

Shah was here to lead a road show on Monday evening as part of BJP's campaign for Gauhati Lok Sabha candidate, Bijuli Kalita Medhi.

Elections in Gauhati Lok Sabha seat is scheduled on May 7.

Reacting to Priyanka Gandhi's allegation that BJP is trying to protect its ally JD(S), Shah said, "Priyanka ji is levelling allegations on us. Instead of doing so, Gandhi should question the government of their party in Karnataka."

The purported video featuring Revanna, the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda has caused embarrassment to the party and its ally BJP in Karnataka ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

Good response in South:

Talking about the Lok Sabha polls, Shah told reporters that an internal assessment suggested that BJP and its allies crossed the 100-seat mark in the two phases of polling on April 19 and 26 and the initial trend suggested that saffron party got "a very good response" in South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

"We have got big electoral success in Assam, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh in the first two phases of polling. The initial trend also suggests that BJP has also got very good response in the southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. So, we are moving rightly towards our target of 400 plus seats in these elections," Shah said.

Congress twisting 400+ target:

Stating that Congress is trying to twist BJP's target of 400 plus seats, Shah said, "Congress says our 400 plus target is for changing the Constitution. They have also started spreading lies that after getting 400 plus seats, BJP will do away with the reservations. We got absolute majority in 2014 and 2019. In the past 10 years, we did not use the absolute majority to throttle democracy by imposing emergency like Congress. We used the majority to remove Article 370, triple talaq, the British era laws and constructed Ram Mandir after getting the clearance from the Supreme Court," Shah said.

Religion-based reservations:

Stating that Congress was spreading lies that BJP would remove reservations after getting 400 plus seats, Shah said that BJP is in support of reservations for the SCs, STs and OBCs and will continue to protect such reservations. "Congress, on the other hand, gave reservations based on religion. After coming to power on Andhra Pradesh, Congress introduced reservations to Muslims, thereby reducing reservations for the OBCs. In Karnataka too, Congress gave OBC status to Muslims and provided four percent reservations quota. These affected reservations of the backward classes," he said.

Shah said BJP is against reservations based on religion as the same is against the Constitution. "We will end reservations based on religion in those states and give justice to the backward classes. Congress is now spreading a fake video of my speech in order to create confusion among the voters," Shah said.