Mandya, Oct 15 (IANS) Karnataka Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Thursday alleged that the Janata Dal (Secular) was behind the alleged sting operation targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and launched a sharp attack on Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy over his remarks on the state’s political developments.
“Who is Kumaraswamy? Who is he to refuse to accept D.K. Shivakumar as Chief Minister? What does he have to do with this?” Cheluvarayaswamy, a close associate of CM Shivakumar, asked while responding to questions from the media on Kumaraswamy’s reported reluctance to accept Shivakumar as Chief Minister.
“He is a Union Minister. Let him do his job. He must be out of his mind to make such statements instead of concentrating on his responsibilities,” he said.
Alleging that the JD(S) was behind the sting operation, Cheluvarayaswamy said, “Who else could carry out such a sting operation if not the Janata Dal? A video claiming that a sting operation had been conducted against Siddaramaiah is being circulated through their social media pages. The police have arrested those accused of circulating the video. What is wrong with that?”
Questioning the timing of the video’s release, he asked why footage reportedly described as old was being released now.
“Siddaramaiah would never violate the law or engage in any wrongdoing that could cause embarrassment. The Congress as a whole would not indulge in such activities,” he said.
Challenging Kumaraswamy to take up the matter with the Prime Minister and refer it to investigative agencies, Cheluvarayaswamy said, “Let Kumaraswamy speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hand over the matter to the investigative agencies for a probe.”
The minister also questioned Kumaraswamy’s expressions of concern for Siddaramaiah, alleging that he had not shown such sympathy earlier.
“How has Kumaraswamy suddenly developed such concern and affection for Siddaramaiah when he had shown none until now? He is the one who creates a problem and then pretends to be helping resolve it,” Cheluvarayaswamy alleged.
Referring to the controversy surrounding the pen drive case involving former Hassan JDS MP Prajwal Revanna, the minister accused Kumaraswamy of showing concern only for his nephew while ignoring the alleged victims.
“Kumaraswamy claims that injustice was done only to Prajwal Revanna in the Hassan pen drive case. He has not shown even the slightest concern for the hundreds of women who were victims,” Cheluvarayaswamy alleged.
Siddaramaiah has obtained a court order restraining the circulation of a defamatory video targeting him and has also lodged a police complaint.
The Congress government has detained JD(S) workers in connection with the case, prompting Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to launch a scathing attack on Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Home Minister Priyank Kharge.
The controversy has stirred up state politics.
–IANS
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