Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar Thursday said some “hired” elements attempted to execute a “sting operation” against him. The comments come amid growing concerns in recent days about alleged entrapment attempts targeting political leaders and public personalities.
The chief minister said there have been attempts to trap him since he took office in June this year, adding that he possesses evidence for the same. “I hold a responsible position and I won’t speak for the heck of it. I have all the evidence. I know who the godfather behind this is, who is providing financial support and how the entire operation was planned,” he said.
Just a day before, the chief minister had cautioned his cabinet colleagues to be careful about possible sting operations—referring to honey traps and sleaze videos, and other incriminating videos. His statements also coincide with allegations levelled by Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who has hinted that Shivakumar allegedly carried out a sting operation against his predecessor, Siddaramaiah, who was then forced to step down.
Speaking on Thursday, the CM said people looking to trap him had come to him under the pretense of discussing something important.
“I know who they met, who their kingpins are,” Shivakumar said, adding that a few political leaders had “hired” people to do this job.
Sting operations or ‘CDs’ are common terms in the political parlance of Karnataka—and other parts of India—where it’s not entirely unusual for sleaze videos of elected representatives to flood social media and be played on loop by TV news media.
‘Reveal who tried to trap the CM’
On Wednesday, former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy egged Shivakumar to order a probe into these alleged sting operations.
“If a sting operation was actually attempted, let there be an investigation. The chief minister has said that people came to trap him, that the police were aware of it and that there are photographs and other evidence. If all this is true, who were the people involved? Why not place those details before the public?” Kumaraswamy asked.
The Union minister and state president of the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) said Shivakumar’s claims of being aware of the alleged masterminds were just an excuse to deflect attention from the allegations of land grab on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
He said the chief minister should order a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the allegations.
The former chief minister also referred to similar allegations made in the past by sitting ministers and elected legislators, including senior Congress leader K.N. Rajanna on the floor of the legislature.
“Rajanna had spoken in the assembly about 40 to 48 people being targeted. He had also referred to someone within the government as being behind it. I know how Siddaramaiah was politically targeted. The chief minister should answer whether these activities were carried out with his involvement,” Kumaraswamy alleged.
“If there was an attempt to trap a former chief minister, why has the matter been kept under wraps? If you have information about such an operation, what are you doing with it? These are serious matters that require an investigation,” he said.
Not the first time in Karnataka
In March last year, then Karnataka’s Minister for Home Affairs, G. Parameshwara informed the legislature that the government would set up a high-level probe into the growing case of ‘honeytraps’ against political leaders in Karnataka.
The issue gained significance after senior Congress leader and then Karnataka Minister for Cooperation, K.N. Rajanna, said several leaders had fallen prey to honeytrapping. At the time, Rajanna said that nearly 48 political leaders were trapped this way, and it was common knowledge that the state of Karnataka “has become a factory for CDs and pen drives”.
Senior ministers, MLAs from ruling and opposition parties and several others have alleged honeytrap attempts for either economic gain or political favour.
In modern-day politics, especially in Karnataka, sting operations and honeytrapping tactics have been used extensively over the years. In March 2021, a sleaze video showing what appeared to be Ramesh Jarkiholi getting intimate with an unnamed woman was shared on social media. He was accused of sexually exploiting the woman, who had allegedly approached him to seek help. Jarkiholi had to subsequently step down as minister from B.S.Yediyurappa’s cabinet.
There was another instance when at least six ministers from the BJP government secured gag orders from the courts in 2021, prohibiting the publishing of any video that would damage their reputation.
The needle of suspicion pointed to the possibility of sleaze videos against these ministers and MLAs.
In 2019, then BJP MLA Arvind Limbavali broke down on the floor of the house, claiming that a “fake gay sex video” of his was doing the rounds on social media.
Edited by Sunanda Ranjan