Nikhil the dummy, Prajwal the stain: Gowda clan’s credibility collapses

 The Deve Gowda family’s decision to send its youngest heir, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, to lead the JD(S) contingent at the Dharmasthala rally with the BJP has been received across Karnataka as a great farce. The ridicule stems from two unavoidable truths: the collapse of credibility within the Gowda clan, and the shadow of disgrace hanging over the family because of Prajwal Revanna, direct cousin of Nikhil.

To begin with, the choice of Nikhil exposed the bankruptcy of leadership in JD(S). He is no stranger to the electorate, but his record is one of repeated rejection by electorate — three failed assembly bids and one lost parliamentary race. For such a political novice to head the team in Dharmasthala, at a time when public anger is raw and unforgiving, made the family look tone-deaf and desperate. The optics were disastrous: Nikhil standing awkwardly with the Heggades brought neither honour to the temple administrators nor credibility to the JD(S).

The question naturally arises: why did H.D. Kumaraswamy himself, now a Union Minister under Narendra Modi, not take the stage? His absence was striking. Known for his devotion to the Dharmasthala temple, he has often sought symbolic legitimacy there through truth-tests and ritual affirmations. His personal rapport with the Heggade family is well established. Yet when the moment came, he was invisible, without explanation. The silence suggested what the family may already know — that neither Deve Gowda nor Kumaraswamy carries the moral authority to face the public. By deputing Nikhil, they invited harsher ridicule, presenting a dummy in place of accountability.

More devastating, however, is the moral burden of Prajwal Revanna of the Gowda family,  the two-time MP from Hassan now jailed in connection with serial rape cases. These charges are not routine political allegations; they are crimes that have shaken public conscience. At Dharmasthala, the air is thick not with electoral slogans but with demands for justice. Mass protests rage against the so-called “D gang,” accused of serial rapes and murders over the years. For the Gowda family to appear in alignment with those perceived as defending this gang has only deepened public disgust.

Karnataka’s people are no longer fooled by dynastic drama. The JD(S), once a regional alternative, is today mocked as appa-makkala paksha — a family enterprise masquerading as a party. Its tally in the Assembly dwindles election after election, and no credible leader has emerged to arrest the decline. Instead of reckoning with the crisis, the family has chosen to huddle closer to power, regardless of the baggage.

The tragedy, however, extends beyond the Gowdas. In any other democracy, crimes of this scale involving ruling-class figures could have toppled governments or sent leaders to the gallows. In India, political survival continues to trump truth. Parties jettison morality, align with the discredited, and still manage to endure. That is the wonder — and the disgrace — of our politics.

Dharmasthala was meant to symbolize truth and devotion. Instead, it has exposed how far our politics has strayed from both.