JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday questioned why the Karnataka government has not ordered an investigation into CM D K Shivakumar’s sting operation claims. Kumaraswamy said, "The chief minister must clarify the matter instead of making statements that create suspicion." He alleged the controversy is a diversionary political tactic.
Days after Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar claimed that a Union minister and a BJP leader had hired an agency to embarrass his ministers and bureaucrats, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday asked why the government had not ordered an investigation yet.
"There are reports that the CM spoke about sting operations against five of his Cabinet colleagues. If such operations took place, who were the targets and who was behind them? Why is there hesitation in ordering an investigation?" the Union minister said.
Kumaraswamy asked how the five ministers could continue in the Cabinet if the government believed they had been targeted in such operations. "The chief minister must clarify the matter instead of making statements that create suspicion," he added.
Kumaraswamy alleged that Shivakumar met a person involved in sting operations at a five-star hotel and discussed matters with him for hours. "Who was that person? What is his relationship with the chief minister?... The chief minister must answer these questions before the people of Karnataka," Kumaraswamy said.
Kumaraswamy also claimed that the chief minister's personal staff carried files containing information about the alleged sting operations into a Cabinet meeting.
'Allegation is a diversionary tactic'
Recalling that he had earlier said a significant political development would occur during Vijayadashami, Kumaraswamy linked the timing of the controversy to his allegations of corruption in the NICE Road project.
"I have been pursuing the NICE issue, placing documents before the people and seeking justice. The sting operation controversy has now taken centre stage. This appears to be an attempt to divert attention from the issues I have raised," Kumaraswamy said.
Kumaraswamy also rejected Home Minister Priyank Kharge's suggestion that a complaint should be filed before the sting operation allegation can be investigated. He argued that investigations had been initiated in other cases even before complaints were filed.
After Shivakumar made his remarks, Congress MLA Ravikumar Ganiga addressed a news conference, where he flashed a pen drive and said he had evidence about the sting operations and would release it within a week.