BENGALURU: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge here on Wednesday rejected Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy’s demand for an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged sting operation targeting former Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee member Siddaramaiah.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh met Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at Vidhana Soudha and briefed him on the developments, according to informed sources.
The controversy intensified after Siddaramaiah lodged a complaint seeking an investigation into the alleged conspiracy to tarnish his reputation through the circulation of videos and claims on social media. The CCB Cyber Crime police have registered a case in connection with the complaint.
Kharge questioned the need for a central agency when the state police could handle the case.“Why is a CBI investigation necessary? Where will the CBI get its personnel from? The state has to provide them. The state police will investigate this case,”he said.
Kharge also took a swipe at those repeatedly raising the issue, saying they appeared to have more information about the alleged sting operation.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy indicated that the issue could come up for discussion at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, with the government expected to take a call on the next course of action,if necessary.
While maintaining that he did not consider an investigation necessary at this stage, he challenged Kumaraswamy to seek a CBI probe, pointing out that the BJP-led government was in power at the Centre.
Meanwhile, Minister MB Patil described sting operations as an undesirable practice, irrespective of who was behind them, and said political differences should not be used to damage an individual’s reputation.
Karnataka Pradehs Congress Committee (KPCC) president BK Hariprasad also called for an end to mudslinging, saying politics should not descend to such levels.
Congress legislators and JD(S) MLC S L Bhoje Gowda also called for investigation to identify those responsible.Police are examining social media accounts allegedly used to circulate misleading material and are attempting to trace their users through IP addresses and associated devices.
JDS targets Home Minister over rejection of CBI probe
In a social media post, JDS targeted Home Minister Priyank Kharge for ruling out CBI probe into the alleged conspiracy to tarnish former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s reputation.
“Is it wrong to demand an investigation into the sting operation? Are you a dictator, Priyank Kharge, to say that others should not speak about it?” the party asked on social media platform X.
The party questioned the Congress government over its alleged reluctance to reveal the identity of the person behind the sting operation targeting Siddaramaiah.
The post also questioned whether Kharge had forgotten Siddaramaiah’s contribution to his political career, alleging that the former CM’s efforts had helped Kharge win from Chittapur and become a minister.
The JDS challenged Kharge to disclose the reasons behind the alleged moves to remove Siddaramaiah from the Chief Minister’s post. The JDS accused Kharge of showing greater urgency in securing a civic amenity site for the Siddhartha Trust than in seeking justice for Siddaramaiah.