Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna Tuesday said he would file a complaint with Home Minister G Parameshwara later in the day regarding his allegation that he had been the target of a “honey-trapping” attempt by a gang. Rajanna said the complaint would detail how one person approached him, claiming that he had “personal work and very important secrets to share”.
Addressing a press conference in Tumakuru, Rajanna said a man had visited him twice at his Bengaluru house, each time with a different woman. “In the second visit, he introduced a woman as a high court lawyer,” said the Congress minister.
Rajanna said his letter to the home minister detailed the entire incident and explained the reasons for the delay in filing the complaint. “(Investigators) have to find out whether the two were doing it on their own or whether someone was behind them,” the minister said, adding that he could recognise the person who allegedly tried to trap him if that person was produced before him.
The allegations by the minister last week in the legislature triggered a political storm in Karnataka, with the issue being raised in Parliament as well. Rajanna alleged that the gang had also targeted 47 other MLAs across party lines.
Following this, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the allegations. The petitioner, Binay Kumar Singh from Jharkhand, argued that serious allegations were made in the Karnataka Assembly, claiming several prominent people, including judges, were honey-trapped.
Responding to a question on the PIL, Rajanna said he had never claimed that judges were honey-trapped. “I said that leaders from both parties (The Congress and the BJP) are trying to malign their rivals in their own parties. According to my information, such attempts are being made against vocal leaders,” he said, adding that the PIL was based on false rumours.
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