Bengaluru, Oct 24 (IANS) Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday said the use of camera-equipped Meta smart glasses during meetings with senior ministers or the Chief Minister could raise doubts, stressing that visitors should follow protocol and respect the dignity of the office.
Reacting to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s statement that Meta smart glasses were used in an alleged sting operation targeting him and Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, Kharge said covert recordings and sting operations had become a concern.
“A lot of people come and meet ministers. Quite naturally, CBI and IT are also being misused. Very clearly, I had mentioned earlier that they have now started doing these covert videos or sting operations,” he said.
Kharge said it was unethical for visitors meeting senior Cabinet ministers or the Chief Minister to wear camera-equipped glasses without regard for the concerns of those being recorded.
“You might have Meta glasses or whatever for your eyesight. But if it has a camera, quite naturally there will be doubts,” he said, adding that visitors should show courtesy and respect for the office they were meeting.
On Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s statement that some Congress leaders were allegedly involved in the sting operation, Kharge said the videos themselves showed the presence of people belonging to the party.
“That is very evident in the video itself. In all videos, there are faces visible who belong to the party. They cannot deny it, but it is a very clear case of extortion. It is a very clear case of blackmail, and we are investigating. Sooner or later, everything will be out,” he said.
Kharge’s remarks came amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged sting operation, with the minister expressing confidence that further details would emerge as the probe progresses.
It can be recalled that Shivakumar has alleged that an industrialist who met him wearing Meta AI smart glasses may have been attempting to record their conversation as part of a suspected sting operation targeting him and the Kerala Chief Minister.
In an interview with a prominent Kannada television channel recently, Shivakumar said he became suspicious when the industrialist, who had obtained an appointment through government officials, shifted the conversation from business to political strategies, including booth-level management and political developments.
“God has given me power. When they came to conduct a sting operation on me, nobody told me about it. In my experience, if I look at someone’s face, I can figure out why they have come to meet me and what is on their mind,” Shivakumar said.
He said he meets thousands of people every day and believes he can read their intentions from their faces. Recalling the meeting, he said the industrialist initially spoke about business, as expected, but subsequently took him to an antechamber and opened a laptop.
“He should have spoken to me about business, but he started discussing politics. He explained how booth-level strategies worked and spoke about what they were doing and other political matters. He went on explaining things like a political psephologist. I looked at his face and became suspicious. I then noticed his spectacles, which raised further doubts,” Shivakumar said.
The Karnataka CM said he subsequently directed officials to examine the individual’s background and gather information about his meetings with other political leaders.
According to Shivakumar, the background check revealed that the industrialist had worn Meta smart glasses during meetings with him and Satheesan, but not during meetings with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and a Union Minister.
He also referred to a meeting with an IT Minister, during which the individual allegedly did not wear the glasses.
–IANS
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