New Delhi/Bengaluru, Oct 8 Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday claimed that an attempt has been made to trap him as part of an alleged sting operation and said he had concrete evidence of it.
According to Shivakumar, the attempt to trap him was made after he became the Chief Minister.
“Some people had approached me. If I want, I can release all the photographs, but at present, I do not see the need to do so. I know who is doing what,” Shivakumar told reporters in New Delhi.
Asked whether he meant that an attempt had been made to trap him personally, Shivakumar said, “Yes. They tried to start it with me. I have all the proof.”
Shivakumar said he had alerted the police after growing suspicious of the activities of ‘certain people’ and had gathered information and kept documents ready.
“Some people had come to me under various pretexts to discuss certain things, and I know how they came, whom they met and what they discussed. I also know who the masterminds behind this are,” he said.
The Chief Minister said he had cautioned his officers to remain alert, alleging that there had been an attempt to deliberately trap government officials.
“I am not going to respond to everyone. I have only cautioned my officers to remain alert. There has been an attempt to trap our officials deliberately, and I have warned all our people to be careful,” he said.
He also claimed that some people had been sent outside and others hired in connection with the alleged operation, adding that some leaders were involved.
“We have information about all of this. We have concrete information,” Shivakumar said.
Reacting to it, Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, questioned Shivakumar’s statements and alleged that the issue was being raised to divert attention from the NICE project.
Kumaraswamy told reporters in Hassan district that he was surprised how the matter discussed in the cabinet meeting was leaked.
The JD(S) second-in-command alleged that Shivakumar’s “sole intention” was to ensure that the NICE issue did not come to the forefront as documents relating to the project were being released.
“I can understand the embarrassment you are facing when documents about the alleged irregularities in NICE are released publicly. In such a situation, you are the one spreading such stories to hide it,” Kumaraswamy alleged.
The JD(S) first family has been alleging large scale irregularities in Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor Project, carried out by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Limited (NICE) and injustice to farmers who parted with their land for the project.
(PTI News)
