Bengaluru, 7 October

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday claimed that Siddaramaiah was forced to step down as chief minister because his then deputy DK Shivakumar ran a “sting operation” to seize power and become the CM. 

Kumaraswamy’s comments came as reports emerged that Shivakumar himself had told his Cabinet to be wary of sting operations, something that BJP leader R Ashoka said was indicative that the sting operation actually happened as a “thief’s mind is always suspicious”. 

Shivakumar “is a master at doing sting operations. He did the sting and is now trying to put the blame on Opposition parties,” Kumaraswamy told reporters after a press conference. 

He added that the way Siddaramaiah resigned was “not right”, and that the Congress did not treat “a senior leader properly. Siddaramaiah is a senior AHINDA leader and the longest serving chief minister in Karnataka. 

“A news channel and the Congress High Command joined hands with DK Shivakumar and removed Siddaramaiah. Siddaramaiah, who went to Delhi believing he was called to discuss Cabinet expansion, was informed about the sting operation," Kumaraswamy alleged.

“In the Assembly, what did KN Rajanna say? Did he not say that stings of 40 more people were done? What happened to his statement? Later, his mouth was shut," Kumaraswamy alleged. "Earlier, this Chief Minister had hatched the same conspiracy to finish Deve Gowda's family. He is using the same conspiracy to control his own Cabinet.”

The JD(S) leader alleged that “from morning to evening” Shivakumar plans sting operations. 

KPCC Communication Department Chairman Ramesh Babu, however, said that this was another one of Kumaraswamy’s “hit and run” allegation. In a statement, Babu called Kumaraswamy’s accusations “baseless” and said that they were an attempt to sow discord among the Congress. Babu noted that Kumaraswamy faced allegations of phone tapping and conducting sting operations himself. 

NICE ROAD 

Kumaraswamy called on people to stop paying tolls on the NICE Road, saying that Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise had collected Rs 4,756.48 crore in toll revenue in violation of norms.

“The original project cost of the NICE road was Rs 1,583.76 crore. But the company has collected Rs 4,756.48 crore through tolls which is almost three times the original project cost,” he claimed.

Kumaraswamy also shared a 2021 letter by one Kapil Sharma to the National Green Tribunal which claimed that the NICE had encroached on 12 lakes.

“NICE had asked the Supreme Court for a total of 6,999 acres of land, including 2,193 acres, for the peripheral road. This included Karabu, Khushki, Tari and plantation land, but did not ask for any lake land,” Kumaraswamy said.