Bengaluru
oi-Swastika Sruti
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has blamed Congress MLA from Mangalore Kripa Alva and television anchor from Power TV Rakesh Shetty in the controversy that ensued following the alleged sting operation. In an interview with the press on Friday in Mysuru, he dismissed the allegations of conspiracy against him and said that the episode was nothing but an act of blackmailing to tarnish his reputation.
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accused Congress MLA Kripa Alva and Power TV anchor Rakesh Shetty in a sting operation controversy, calling it blackmail. He expressed confidence in the police investigation, stating no separate SIT probe is currently required.
Siddaramaiah explained that he had filed a complaint because he wanted to get to the truth about the incident through an inquiry. He also added that he was confident of the police inquiry going on and there was no need for any Special Investigation Team (SIT) now.
He spoke about the entire controversy at length for the first time, mentioning that the alleged incident came into his knowledge on September 26, when a video surfaced on the internet regarding the incident.
Siddaramaiah Calls Sting Operation Allegations False
Siddaramaiah described the allegations linked to the sting operation as fabricated and said they were intended to blackmail him.
“There is no truth in the allegation. It is done to blackmail me. It is totally concocted,” he said, adding that people should know the truth about the matter.
He claimed that Rakesh Shetty had admitted to the police that he carried out the operation. This was Siddaramaiah’s account of the matter; the details of any police statement were not independently established in the information available for this report.
The former chief minister said the investigation should establish what happened and clear up the allegations. He added that he was not worried about attempts to damage his reputation because he believed people would not accept claims he considered false.
Who Is Kripa Alva?
Kripa Alva is a Congress leader from Karnataka’s coastal region and has held several organisational positions in the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). She has served as a party spokesperson and has been associated with the Congress’s state-level campaign activities.
Alva is the wife of Amar Alva, a Mangaluru-based social worker and political figure who was killed in 1992. After his death, she continued her involvement in social work before entering active politics.
In 2015, during Siddaramaiah’s previous tenure as Karnataka Chief Minister, Alva was appointed chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Her appointment brought her into a state-level role focused on child rights and related issues.
Alva has now been named by Siddaramaiah in connection with the controversy surrounding an alleged sting-operation video. The former chief minister has accused her and Power TV’s Rakesh Shetty of being linked to the episode, which he has described as an attempt to blackmail him and damage his reputation. These are allegations, and the role of the individuals named must be established through the ongoing investigation.
No Demand For SIT Probe, Says Former Karnataka CM
Answering if the alleged sting operation had been done with any political motive, Siddaramaiah pointed that the investigation would need to find out who was behind it.
He maintained that it would need to find out if the people involved in the alleged plot belong to his own party or some other political party.
He also denied seeking a probe on a larger scale as of now and said that he has faith in the present investigation.
“I have full faith in our investigation. It has to be impartial, I have urged this. No need of SIT. People should know the truth,” he added.
The above statement clearly indicates that he does not want a separate investigation team to be made in the present investigation.
Siddaramaiah said that he never came across such a situation during his political life including the tenure of being a minister and chief minister.
Siddaramaiah Responds To Kumaraswamy’s Support
When asked about Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s statement that he stood with Siddaramaiah, the former chief minister said he did not need anyone to take his side.
Instead, he said the investigation should establish the truth and show whether the allegations were false.
Siddaramaiah maintained that the facts should emerge through the legal process rather than through political statements or public claims.
