Bengaluru: BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has alleged that a CD was shown to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during a late-night meeting convened by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over an alleged move to remove Siddaramaiah from the chief minister’s post.
Reacting to the controversy, Yatnal demanded that anyone found involved in the matter should be removed from their position, irrespective of their rank. He also questioned how Siddaramaiah came to know about the alleged sting operation and claimed that Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy possessed significant information about the case.
Yatnal urged Kumaraswamy to disclose details about the alleged sting operation, including the hotel visit, meals and financial transactions associated with it.
He further alleged that the same group had implicated state minister Satish Jarkiholi in an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case. However, he did not provide publicly verified evidence to substantiate the allegations in the statements cited.
Yatnal also criticised Siddaramaiah’s son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, claiming that his conduct had affected the chief minister’s political image. He levelled allegations of extortion against Yathindra during his father’s tenure as chief minister, but no supporting evidence was provided in the account.
The BJP MLA also criticised Siddaramaiah over what he described as inadequate support for the Halumatha community. He alleged that government schemes had favoured the Muslim community while Hindus had not received grants, and questioned the chief minister’s support base during difficult times.
Yatnal further claimed that Siddaramaiah had been humiliated in Kalaburagi when a statue of the chief minister was transported in a municipal corporation vehicle.
The MLA said he possessed documents relating to alleged corruption involving Siddaramaiah and demanded that they be made public.
The allegations concerning the CD, the alleged sting operation, extortion and corruption have not been independently verified in the information available. No response from Siddaramaiah, the Gandhi family, Yathindra Siddaramaiah or Kumaraswamy was included in the account.
