BENGALURU: The Karnataka government on Thursday handed over the honey trap case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which began the investigation soon after.
Director General of Police (DGP) Alok Mohan ordered the CID probe based on a submission made by Minister for Cooperation K.N. Rajanna.
On March 20, senior Minister Rajanna said in the state Assembly that he had fallen victim to a honey trap. He further claimed that over 48 politicians across Karnataka and the country had been similarly trapped.
Rajanna also submitted a three-page report on the matter to state Home Minister G. Parameshwara, who then forwarded the petition to the DGP with instructions to investigate the matter. Rajanna is a close associate of CM Siddaramaiah and has repeatedly questioned the allocation of the posts of Deputy CM and the party's state president to D.K. Shivakumar.
Minister Rajanna's son, MLC Rajendra Rajanna, stated in Bengaluru on Thursday that CID officials had already visited their official residence and collected information from the household staff.
When asked about the role of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in the matter, MLC Rajendra said he had no knowledge of it. He clarified that no honey trap attempt had been made on him personally and that he had only received related phone calls.
“Minister Rajanna had stated that two attempts were made on him, ” Rajendra added.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka BJP has alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was behind the deliberate escalation of the honey trap row in the state.
Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka stated that the honey trap row has caused unrest within the state Congress party. He added that internal factionalism has intensified and noted that Minister for PWD Satish Jarkiholi had met former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and his son, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, in Delhi, in this context.
Ashoka further said the BJP had launched an agitation over the honey trap issue following Minister Rajanna’s statement in the Assembly. He claimed the controversy is creating turmoil within the ruling party and alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is orchestrating the matter. “The issue has now reached Delhi, ” he added.
Reacting to the developments, Minister for RDPR, IT and BT Priyank Kharge said on Thursday in Bengaluru that both the Chief Minister and the state Home Minister had made it clear that an investigation would be carried out once Minister Rajanna or any other individual files a formal complaint. “Whatever is required to ensure justice will be done as per the law, ” he said.
Responding to the BJP’s allegation of infighting within Congress over the honey trap case, Kharge said, “If we accept the BJP’s allegations as true, what do we make of Minister Rajanna’s statement in the Assembly? He said central leaders, BJP leaders, and Congress leaders were involved. Who is honey trapping central and state BJP leaders? Is there a power struggle in the BJP too?” he questioned.
“Minister Rajanna clearly stated that 48 individuals were victims, cutting across party lines, including central BJP leaders. The Union Home Ministry would be the appropriate authority to address this issue, ” he added.
Minister Rajanna’s son, MLC Rajendra Rajanna, filed a complaint with DGP Alok Mohan on Thursday, alleging that there was an assassination attempt on him in November last year during his daughter’s birthday celebration. “I came to know about it much later and am now lodging a formal complaint. The DGP advised me to also file a complaint with the Tumakuru SP, which I will do on Friday, ” he said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the petition seeking an independent probe into Karnataka Minister for Cooperation K.N. Rajanna’s claim that political rivals tried to "honey trap him". Refusing to entertain the plea, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta asked the PIL litigant’s counsel to explain how a non-Karnataka resident was concerned with the affairs of Karnataka.
After Rajanna’s claim and the state opposition BJP's demand for an investigation into the issue, state Home Minister G. Parameshwara announced that a high-level probe would be conducted.
"This is a question of the honour of every member of this House. We must put an end to it, " Parameshwara emphasised.
The issue sparked a heated debate in the Legislative Assembly, leading to dramatic developments as members became emotional while discussing the matter, and BJP member N. Munirathna even alleged that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar was behind the honey trap network in Karnataka.
It also led to the suspension of 18 BJP MLAs from the Assembly for six months on charges of showing disrespect to the Speaker’s Chair. The suspension came following the disruption of the proceedings during a protest in the well of the House while demanding a judicial or CBI probe into the alleged honey trap attempt involving Minister Rajanna