A former Karnataka MP with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allegedly tried to get another BJP leader, Devaraje Gowda, to release pen drives containing videos of sexual assault, according to an unverified audio clip that has gone viral.

In the audio clip, LR Shivarame Gowda, who switched from Janata Dal (Secular) to BJP in April 2023, is heard trying to convince Devaraje Gowda, to release the videos in which Janata Dal (Secular) Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna allegedly assaulted women. Devaraje Gowda has been claiming since last December that he had the videos.

Shivarame Gowda is heard saying he spoke to ‘DK’ (presumed to be DK Shivakumar) in the morning. “You can blame it on Kumaraswamy, saying he released it because he wanted to push his son forward. Don’t underestimate Deve Gowda and his sons. The government has decided to ruin them. I wonder why Deve Gowda hasn’t committed suicide already…Whatever videos you have, give it to us. Don’t think about it…What is wrong if the pen drives are shared?”

Devaraje Gowda is then heard saying that it is wrong to release the videos. “It’s wrong to distribute it according to the law. It’s a question of women’s dignity, isn’t it? Their character.” 

The audio clip comes on the back of accusations by the JD(S) that the Congress, and its party president DK Shivakumar in particular, are out to destroy Deve Gowda’s family. Deve Gowda and DK Shivakumar are Vokkaligas, a socially dominant land-owning caste in Karnataka. 

Responding to the audio clip, the JD(S), in a post on social media, said, “The conspiracy of the Congress to finish off Deve Gowda’s family and ruin Kumaraswamy’s leadership has been exposed.” The party also said the audio exposes the macabre mindset of the Congress, which was hoping for Deve Gowda’s death.

Just last week, Devaraje Gowda had claimed that the Congress offered him Rs 100 crore to release the pen drives. The JD(S) will hold a protest against Shivarame Gowda in Bengaluru on Monday.