Overview
- Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar showed a file and cautioned Cabinet ministers about private agencies allegedly conducting sting operations, citing information from the State Intelligence Department at a meeting on Tuesday.
- Accounts of the warning conflict inside the Congress, with Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and Minister H.C. Balakrishna confirming it and other ministers, including Dr Sharan Prakash Patil, saying no such caution was given.
- Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy alleged without presenting evidence that a past sting operation by Shivakumar forced former CM Siddaramaiah to resign, a claim that has been reported but not independently verified.
- BJP leaders seized on the warning to accuse Shivakumar of hypocrisy and political maneuvering, saying the episode shows the ruling party is divided and that recorded material is being used as a political tool.
- Karnataka has a long history of recorded-conversation controversies, and the current dispute — lacking independent proof of any sting material — raises the risk of leaked recordings shaping the run-up to the 2028 state elections and calls for outside verification.