‘Nobody can touch me,’ claims HD Kumaraswamy amid ‘sting op’ war with Congress
Facing scrutiny over sting controversy, Kumaraswamy hits back at the Congress, denying wrongdoing and daring the Karnataka government to arrest him
Union minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy has launched a counter-offensive against the ruling Congress government in Karnataka, daring the administration to arrest him while asserting that “nobody can even touch this Kumaraswamy”.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters at JP Bhavan in Bengaluru on Monday (November 2) amid escalating political friction and speculations surrounding him over the alleged sting operation against former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Kumaraswamy fiercely dismissed all allegations and accused the state government of hatching a political rivalry.
“I have committed no wrongdoing. On what grounds will I be questioned? Let me see who has the guts to touch me. If you have the strength, come and touch me; no one can touch this Kumaraswamy,” he dared.
Also read: Siddaramaiah sting case: Probe trail reaches Kumaraswamy’s Delhi home; is trouble brewing?
He claimed that he possesses minute details of secret strategy meetings conducted by ruling party leaders immediately after the Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations.
Prajwal Revanna pen-drive row
Turning his sights on Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Kumaraswamy levelled counter-allegations regarding the controversial Prajwal Revanna pen-drive scandal.
Denying claims that he had circulated the pen drives, the Union minister alleged that it was Prajwal’s car driver, Karthik, who had distributed the devices containing the footage at the command of Shivakumar. Releasing the Call Detail Record (CDR), Kumaraswamy alleged that Karthik visited Shivakumar’s residence on August 5 and 6, 2023, asking whether the material was produced inside that house.
Also read: Stung by ‘sting’ row, Siddaramaiah rallies loyalists, plans to meet Rahul
He asserted that the Congress leadership conspired to politically decimate his family simply because the JD(S) joined hands with the BJP, thereby blocking Rahul Gandhi’s prime ministerial ambitions.
Sting video a ‘blackmail conspiracy’
Rubbishing the ongoing sting operation row and subsequent CD controversy, Kumaraswamy labelled the case “an orchestrated web of lies” designed to blackmail and embroil him in legal trouble.
He pointed out that an alleged incident dating back to 2011 was filmed in 2023 using a woman from Kerala “in collusion with” former Child Rights Commission chairperson Krupa Alva and a private channel executive. Questioning the link between Alva and the Kerala woman, he asked why authorities failed to probe the motive behind manufacturing a sting a decade after the alleged event.
Dismissing minister Priyank Kharge’s quip that “this is only a trailer, the movie is yet to come,” Kumaraswamy replied that he had seen countless such manufactured trailers throughout his career and accused Kharge of masking administrative failures such as KPSC irregularities.
Objection to Siddaramaiah’s clean chit
Kumaraswamy also remarked on the Central Crime Branch (CCB), accusing it of acting as a government puppet by swiftly granting a clean chit to Siddaramaiah in the sting probe.
Also read: Siddaramaiah 'sting operation’: Police say 'fabricated and deliberately constructed'
He argued that the hasty vindication was a desperate bid to shield the real conspirators behind the sting and preserve an unstable, fading government. Taking strong objection to allegations made by Siddaramaiah, his son Yathindra, and Cabinet ministers regarding the Opposition’s role, Kumaraswamy said fabricated narratives are being spun daily to divert public attention.
Outrage over leaks and police bias
Taking strong exception to the police commissioner’s statements and media leaks regarding the arrest of Ritesh Pandey and alleged mobile phone handovers at his official Delhi residence, the Union minister categorically stated that he neither knows nor has ever seen Pandey.
Kumaraswamy noted that numerous visitors visit his Delhi quarters for official grievances, making such links baseless. Calling the commissioner’s public remarks illegal and delivered under political pressure, Kumaraswamy dared central and state agencies to search his premises, reiterating that he has faced all legal battles independently without seeking political shields or practicing politics of grudges.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka.)
