Bengaluru, Oct 13 — Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday urged former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not to be intimidated by the alleged conspiracy against him and called on him to take a firm stand against the alleged misuse of sting operations to target political leaders and their families.
Kumaraswamy while addressing the media on Tuesday in Bengaluru said Siddaramaiah, who has extensive experience in public life and governance, should stand firm instead of approaching courts to seek injunctions.
He warned that leaders of the AHINDA communities would have to pay a price in the future if they failed to oppose such developments.
Calling for a high-level investigation, Kumaraswamy urged Siddaramaiah to lead the fight against the alleged practice.
“You should not be afraid of this conspiracy under any circumstances,” Kumaraswamy said in his appeal to Siddaramaiah.
He noted that Siddaramaiah had served as Chief Minister for eight years and described him as a leader who had surpassed the record of former Chief Minister D. Devaraj Urs.
He questioned why Siddaramaiah had been pushed into a situation where he had to approach the court for protection.
Kumaraswamy clarified that his remarks were not driven by sympathy for Siddaramaiah. He said he had politically opposed the former Chief Minister in the past and had engaged in heated exchanges with him in the Assembly.
“I am not speaking out of sympathy for Siddaramaiah. I am speaking about the alleged conspiracy against him,” he said, urging Siddaramaiah to speak out against sting operations with the same forceful voice he had demonstrated in the past and help put an end to the practice.
Kumaraswamy also clarified that he was not demanding the dismissal of the Congress government or seeking to bring it down. His only objective, he said, was to end what he described as a harmful practice of using sting operations to target individuals and their families.
He pointed out that the government had a majority and said there was no need to avoid an investigation out of fear that the government might fall.
Kumaraswamy urged MLAs, ministers and leaders across political parties to raise their voices against the alleged practice, warning that anyone could become a target.
“If one person is targeted today, someone else could be targeted tomorrow,” he said, calling for those responsible for such activities to be restrained and held accountable.
Kumaraswamy alleged that developments involving political opponents were repeatedly brought into focus to divert public attention whenever serious questions were raised about the state government or Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
He said sugarcane farmers were facing difficulties and the state was grappling with drought and drinking water problems.
Despite these pressing issues, some people were allegedly using sting operations against political opponents to serve their own interests, Kumaraswamy said. He demanded action against those responsible and urged former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a firm stand on the issue.