BENGALURU, BELAGAVI: Karnataka Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Thursday said that Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had told his ministers that an unidentified person from North India had earlier approached him in an apparent attempt to trap him.
“He (Shivakumar) said someone had come to trap him, and that ‘If they have come to me, it is not a big deal for them to come to you as well’,” Satish told reporters.
The Chief Minister has cautioned ministers and senior party leaders against alleged systematic attempts to politically trap ministers and damage the image of the Congress government, Satish said. “The Chief Minister himself has clearly said that we should be careful as attempts could be made to trap us. Once the Chief Minister has spoken, there is no need to say anything else,” Satish told reporters.
The minister said such attempts were not unusual in politics and ministers needed to take precautions.
Satish also claimed that private agencies were reportedly being engaged for sting operations.
Defending the Chief Minister’s warning,Satish said the intention was to prevent innocent ministers from being framed. “Attempts have been made in the past to unnecessarily trap people.Those who have done nothing wrong should not get caught. That is the intention behind his warning,”the minister added.
Satish said the issue had also figured in the recent Cabinet meeting, where Chief Minister DK Shivakumar reportedly informed ministers about the alleged attempts to target the government and create situations that could bring disrepute to its functioning.
According to Satish, the alleged strategy involved creating circumstances in which ministers or political leaders could be caught on camera or made to make statements that could subsequently be used against them.
The minister further referred to ED raids and other forms of alleged harassment while speaking about the political environment.
