In an Emergency-like situation, Congress ally in Karnataka, Janata Dal (Secular) has filed an FIR against journalist Vishweshwar Bhat for publishing an article on Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy. In his Kannada daily Vishwavani, Bhat had published a report which talked about Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s alleged meltdown in a drunken state after losing Mandya Lok Sabha seat ‘to a woman’.
The Vishwavani had reported, Nikhil Kumaraswamy after losing the Mandya Lok Sabha polls had created ruckus at the Hotel Radisson Blu in Mysuru on Thursday night. According to the report, Nikhil Kumaraswamy who had allegedly drunk. shouted at the premises of the hotel while making sexist comments that he had faced humiliation after losing out to a woman.
Sumalatha Ambareesh had won the Mandya Lok Sabha seat as an independent candidate.
The report further suggests that Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s anger and frustration was pointed towards his grandfather HD Devegowda. Nikhil Kumaraswamy has reportedly blamed HD Devegowda for his loss as the latter failed to convince Congress party leaders in Mandya.
“You (HD Devegowda) left me in a ‘Chakravyuh’. In spite of having eight MLAs, we were not able to win. Didn’t HD Revanna get the support of Congress in Hassan? Why did not we able to garner the support of Congress rebels Cheluvarayaswamy and Narendra Swamy?” reported the article citing that Nikhil had targetted HD Devegowda for his loss.
The report also added that the Nikhil did not tone down his anger despite his friends and hotel staff trying to calm him down.
Reacting to this, Karnataka Chief Minister and his father, HD Kumaraswamy took to Twitter to issue a denial.
ಕನ್ನಡಪತ್ರಿಕೆಯೊಂದು ಇಂದು ನಿಖಿಲ್ ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಕುರಿತು ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿದ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಅವಾಸ್ತವಿಕ ಹಾಗೂ ಕಪೋಲಕಲ್ಪಿತ.ನಿಖಿಲ್ ಚಾರಿತ್ರ್ಯ ವಧೆ ಮಾಡುವ ಈ ಸುದ್ದಿಯಿಂದ ಒಬ್ಬ ತಂದೆಯಾಗಿ ಅನುಭವಿಸಿದ ನೋವನ್ನು ಸಂಪಾದಕರ ಗಮನಕ್ಕೆ ತಂದಿದ್ದೇನೆ.ಮಾಧ್ಯಮಗಳು ಇಂಥ ಸುಳ್ಳುಸುದ್ದಿಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಭಾವನೆಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಚೆಲ್ಲಾಟವಾಡದಿರಿ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ನನ್ನ ಕಳಕಳಿಯ ಮನವಿ
— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) May 25, 2019
He had tweeted that the above news in Vishwavani were false and written with an intention to defame Nikhil. Following his tweet, Vishwavani issued a statement that said that they had published the news only after verifying with the sources.
However, earlier today, Bengaluru Police filed an FIR against Vishweshwar Bhat on the basis of a complaint filed by Pradeep Kumar S.P., JD(S) Legal Cell general secretary on Sunday.
This is not the first time Nikhil has been accused of creating a ruckus in a hotel. In 2006, when his father was a chief minister, in a drunken stupor, he had allegedly smashed beer bottles and created a ruckus in a hotel at 3:30 am after he and his friends were denied a meal at that hour. Then 19, Nikhil and his two friends had allegedly attacked the hotel staff and had threatened to ‘blow up’ the hotel and get it closed as he is the CM’s son.
