People from North India tried to trap CM Shivakumar through private agency: Karnataka Minister Jarkiholi

Bengaluru: People from North India, allegedly associated with a private agency, tried to trap Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar through a sting operation, Karnataka Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi said on Thursday, adding that the Chief Minister had cautioned his Cabinet colleagues to remain vigilant as they could also be targeted.

Speaking to reporters, Jarkiholi said CM Shivakumar had shared information about the alleged attempt during a Cabinet meeting and told ministers that he himself had been targeted and that similar attempts could be made against other Cabinet members.

“The Chief Minister told us that some people from North India had come to trap him. He said they had tried to trap him and warned us that they could approach Cabinet ministers as well. He asked all of us to be careful,” Jarkiholi said.

He said the issue of alleged sting operations had already been discussed among ministers during the Cabinet meeting and that the developments would have to be watched before drawing any conclusions.

“When dishes such as rasgulla, Maddur Vada and Mulbagal Dosa are served, one has to be careful,” Jarkiholi said in an apparent reference to the possibility of being approached or trapped through seemingly routine interactions.

Asked what could be behind the alleged developments, Jarkiholi said such incidents were not unusual in politics and that political leaders needed to exercise caution.

“In politics, such things are natural. We need to be careful, that is all. The ball is not in our court. I have limited information in this regard,” he said.

Jarkiholi said the information available at present suggested that a private agency, and not a government agency, was allegedly carrying out the sting operations and attempting to trap political leaders.

“Right now, the information is that a private agency is carrying out stings and trying to trap Congress leaders. It is not a government agency. We will see how they approach and what happens,” he said.

According to Jarkiholi, Shivakumar had told the ministers that the alleged attempt against him was not limited to the Chief Minister and that other ministers could also be approached.

He said the ministers had been advised to remain cautious in their interactions so that innocent people were not unnecessarily trapped or blamed.

Jarkiholi also cautioned against giving a political interpretation to the issue, saying the BJP could view and interpret the developments differently.

“The BJP will interpret it in a different manner. But this is not about corruption. There have been attempts earlier to trap people unnecessarily. The innocent should not be caught, blamed or trapped,” he said.

The Minister said the government would have to wait and see how the alleged sting-operation issue develops and what kind of approaches are made to ministers or other political leaders.

The controversy over alleged sting operations targeting Congress leaders has intensified in Karnataka, with Chief Minister Shivakumar and several ministers recently cautioning party leaders to remain vigilant. Opposition leaders have also raised questions over the issue and alleged that the ruling party was attempting to divert attention from other issues.

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