HD Kumaraswamy to meet Amit Shah, seek CBI probe into alleged sting operation targeting Siddaramaiah

Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into an alleged sting operation targeting former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stating that the episode was part of a larger attempt to target political opponentsHe claimed that Siddaramaiah was a victim of the operation and it might have led him to give up the CM postSiddaramaiah has approached a court seeking an injunction on what he described as false publicity against him on social mediaThere was false publicity against me on social media Hence I am seeking an injunction the veteran Congress leader told reporters late Monday night without elaboratingKumaraswamy the JDS secondincommand alleged that the controversy surrounding the sting operation had overshadowed other issues in Karnataka and questioned the state governments handling of the matterA former chief minister Siddaramaiah who held office for eight years was made to approach the court over the issue He was a leader who served the state for eight years and in terms of tenure surpassed the record of Devaraj Urs Is this how you treat such a leader he askedThe JDS also referred to reported discussion of the issue in a Cabinet meeting where Chief Minister D K Shivakumar advised his ministers and party MLAs two weeks ago to be alert over the possible sting operationThe sting operation case should now be handed over to the CBI the union minister said at a press conference hereKumaraswamy also asked the state government to take action Let everyone involved come out into the open The truth must emerge outHe said he would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and seek a CBI probe into the alleged sting operation against Karnataka ministers as revealed by ShivakumarShivakumar you have now used the expression sting operation You watered and nurtured this operation and the saplings you cultivated have now grown into enormous trees You must face the consequences of what has grown out of it he saidReferring to the controversy involving his nephew and former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections Kumaraswamy alleged that the obscene videos were distributed through pen drives in Mandya Hassan and surrounding areas two days before pollingPrajwal the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and son of Holenarasipura MLA H D Revanna is serving a life imprisonment in a rape case at Bengaluru Central JailKumaraswamy alleged that Shivakumar and his predecessor Siddaramaiah had worked together to politically finish off the Deve Gowda familyLeader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka claimed that Siddaramaiah had approached the court for a stay because of the sting operationHe alleged that the Congresss internal discord was causing pain to the former chief minister who had relinquished powerMeanwhile Congress MLA and former minister K N Rajanna said that the sting operation targeting Siddaramaiah could be linked to the ongoing leadership tussle in the ruling partyAsked whether Congress leaders had used the issue to push for a leadership change Rajanna said Yes it is possible We cannot rule it outHe further said that the issue could date back to 2011 or 2017 and claimed that many people knew about itThere is a factory in Karnataka where these sting operations are carried out he claimedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever