A file photo of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his Cabinet colleagues.
| Photo Credit: file photo
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is learnt to have warned his Cabinet colleagues to remain vigilant against possible sting operations, amid reports that private agencies could be secretly recording Ministers’ conversations, meetings, and movements.
Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and Minister H.C. Balakrishna, who attended the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (October 6, 2026), confirmed that Mr. Shivakumar, who also holds the Intelligence portfolio, had alerted the Ministers about possible sting operations.
“Since the Chief Minister holds the Intelligence portfolio, he cautioned us based on some information he had received,” Mr. Parameshwara told reporters.
Mr. Shivakumar is learnt to have raised the issue at the Cabinet meeting and shown the Ministers a “file” containing details of alleged ongoing sting operations. The file reportedly included the names of a few Ministers who were purportedly being targeted.
The Chief Minister is said to have advised the Ministers to exercise caution in the light of these purported developments. The Ministers were also reportedly advised to be cautious about meeting strangers privately or allowing themselves to be photographed with unfamiliar persons.
Political charge
Mr. Balakrishna, meanwhile, sought to link the alleged sting operations to Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, accusing him of attempting to damage the Chief Minister’s political standing.
“Why did he not remember the NICE land issue and undertake a padayatra when Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister?” Mr. Balakrishna asked, referring to Mr. Kumaraswamy’s recent political campaigns against the Congress government.
The Minister alleged that Mr. Kumaraswamy had been using protests and padayatras since Mr. Shivakumar became Chief Minister in an attempt to undermine his position as a prominent Vokkaliga leader.
His remarks also referred to the State’s long history of political allegations involving purported CDs, pen drives and other forms of recorded material. About a decade ago, Mr. Kumaraswamy had claimed that he possessed CDs containing material relating to alleged corruption involving former Minister G. Janardhana Reddy, though the material was not subsequently made public.
The latest warning comes at a time when political activity is intensifying in Karnataka, with the major parties already positioning themselves for the 2028 Assembly elections.
This is not the first time Mr. Shivakumar has cautioned Congress leaders about possible action against them by investigating agencies. During the Enforcement Directorate searches involving the family members of Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, he had claimed Congress MLAs and Ministers were under the agency’s scanner and urged party leaders to remain cautious.
The latest claims about alleged sting operations, however, have not been independently established.
Long history
The latest episode also revives Karnataka’s long history of political battles involving recorded conversations and purportedly incriminating material — from audio tapes in the 1980s to video CDs, sting operations, pen drives and, more recently, digitally recorded conversations and videos.
Such material has periodically been used as a political weapon, with allegations, counter-allegations, and demands for investigations often becoming part of electoral and intra-party battles.
Published – October 07, 2026 07:29 pm IST
