H.D. Kumaraswamy at J.P. Bhavan in Bengaluru on October 13.
Bengaluru: Union Minister and JD(S) Karnataka president H.D. Kumaraswamy demanded a comprehensive, impartial CBI inquiry into allegations that political leaders and their families were being targeted through sting operations, saying he would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit the information available to him.
Speaking at the party’s J.P. Bhavan office in Bengaluru, he urged the State government to hand over the matter to the central agency so investigators could establish who conducted the alleged operations, who was involved and whether offences had been committed.
Phone-tapping allegation and qualification
Kumaraswamy claimed he had received information that four retired police officers had been engaged at a house in Sadashivanagar after D.K. Shivakumar became Chief Minister, using sophisticated equipment to gather information about conversations involving ministers and others. He also alleged that the purported surveillance arrangement was being discussed within the police department.
He expressly clarified that he was not saying the Chief Minister had personally ordered phone tapping. The truth of the allegations and what was happening within departments should be established through an investigation, he said. Asked whether his own phone had been tapped, he said he discussed matters openly and had nothing to conceal.
Appeal to Siddaramaiah
The Union Minister urged former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to speak firmly against what he described as a conspiracy against him. Referring to reports that Siddaramaiah had approached a court for protection concerning alleged sting material, Kumaraswamy said the truth should emerge through constitutional and judicial institutions and that court decisions must be respected.
He cited earlier controversies involving Ramesh Jarkiholi and K.N. Rajanna while alleging a pattern of targeting political figures. He said his appeal to Siddaramaiah was about opposing that alleged practice, despite their past political differences.
Kumaraswamy also referred to an October 9 complaint that he said Nija Horatagaarara Vedike had submitted to judicial and legal-services authorities concerning allegations involving a person who had been a minor. He called for those allegations to be investigated.
Questions over circulation of videos
Discussing the Prajwal Revanna case, Kumaraswamy questioned the circulation of videos through pen drives before the 2024 Lok Sabha election and said women’s faces had not been obscured. He demanded answers about who prepared and distributed the material and what action had been taken against them.
He said he had not criticised the constitution of a Special Investigation Team in that case, but wanted comparable seriousness in other matters. He questioned Rahul Gandhi’s earlier remarks about the number of women affected and the number of complaints filed, and criticised what he described as a ₹35 lakh reward to the SIT.
He further questioned the timing of reports about alleged incidents involving Prajwal Revanna in prison, claiming they resurfaced when Bidadi farmers’ protests and issues concerning NICE were being discussed. He sought clarity on reported prison-transfer decisions and who had issued instructions.
Not seeking dismissal of government
Kumaraswamy clarified that he was not demanding the Congress government’s dismissal or seeking to bring it down. The government had a majority, he said, and should not avoid an inquiry out of fear of political consequences.
He called on legislators, ministers and leaders across parties to oppose the alleged targeting of families, adding that an investigation should establish the truth rather than implicate anyone with a malicious motive. He also pointed to sugarcane farmers’ difficulties, drought, drinking-water problems and the Bidadi farmers’ agitation as issues requiring attention.
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