Chief minister DK Shivakumar claimed he was targeted in an attempted honeytrap after becoming CM, and that he has evidence of those behind it
The earliest episode came in 2014, when as energy minister he alleged two journalists posing as representatives of a solar firm offered him Rs 5 lakh in an attempted sting.
Shivakumar claimed Thursday that he was targeted in an attempted honey trap after becoming CM, and said he had evidence of those behind it. The latest row, involving chief minister DK Shivakumar and Union minister HD Kumaraswamy , is the newest chapter. Neither claim has been substantiated. For years, the threat of a recording has carried political value irrespective of whether the material withstands investigation. A video can force a politician to defend his conduct before its authenticity is settled, and a claim of being targeted can itself become a counter ploy. Shivakumar occupies an unusual place in this history. He has been both a subject of such allegations and, repeatedly, named by rivals as organiser or beneficiary of stings. He has vehemently denied these accusations. Police arrested them and seized the cash.
A day earlier, Kumaraswamy had accused him of forcing Siddaramaiah out of the CM post via a sting operation.
The 2021 Ramesh Jarkiholi incident took the phenomenon to another level. An SIT probed both the assault allegation and the counter-allegation of extortion, and in Feb 2022 filed a B-report citing insufficient evidence. Last year, cooperation minister KN Rajanna said 48 MLAs across parties had allegedly been trapped.
“A tape, video or even an allegation that such material exists can damage reputations before its authenticity is established,” said Vishwas Shetty, political commentator. MN Patil, another expert, said recordings could acquire a political life independent of the eventual investigation. “With social media shrinking the gap between recording, circulation and political fallout, Karnataka’s recurring sting controversies underline a new reality: verification often arrives after the political damage is done,” he said.
A video allegedly involving the then BJP minister surfaced in March, triggering a sex-for-job allegation. Jarkiholi resigned and claimed a conspiracy. By then, the damage was done. The video had spread across television and digital platforms long before investigators could establish how it was recorded. Rivals alleged Shivakumar’s role, which he rejected. BJP MLA Munirathna alleged Shivakumar and his brother DK Suresh were behind a network targeting legislators, linking it to the Jarkiholi case and to HD Revanna and Suraj Revanna. Shivakumar rejected this. Honey-trapping was no longer being described as a tactic against one politician but as a network spanning parties. Experts say while technology has changed, the political objective hasn’t.