I am not 100 % honest: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Bangalore, Aug 29: Politicians seldom admit in public that they are not honest and they accept money to fight elections. Well, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah turned out to be different today when he said "it would be self-deception if I say that I am 100 per cent honest".

It's not as if he has revealed something which is unknown in the public domain. But it's the open admission that earned him a round of applause at a function, organised by "Rashtriya Navanirmana Vedike", to mark the 87th birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde.

"It's true that standards in politics have gone down", said Siddaramaiah, who was in the cabinet of Hegde, heading the then Janata Party government in 1980s. "There is a world of difference between the politics practiced during Hegde's regime and now".

"It's true that today you need money and muscle power (in politics)", said the Chief Minister, who completed 100 days in office earlier this month heading the Congress government which assumed office ousting BJP.

"I have compromised a bit. It would be self-deception if I say that I am 100 per cent honest".

Siddaramaiah, who has the distinction of presenting as many as eight state budgets, added "people give money during elections. We don't know the source of the money. We have to accept that politics has become polluted".

He described Hegde, considered as one who set high political standards when he was at the helm, as his source of inspiration, at the function, also attended by Tourism and Higher Education Minister R V Deshpande, a close associate of the former Chief Minister at the time.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

SIT raids rape accused BJP MLA Munirathna’s residence, 15 other locations

News Network

September 28,2024

Bengaluru, Sep 28: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing charges against arrested Karnataka BJP MLA N. Munirathna Naidu, including allegations of rape, honey-trapping, and other offences, on Saturday conducted raids at his residence and 15 other locations across the city.

Sources confirmed that the raids were taking place at his Vyalikaval residence and other properties owned by the BJP MLA. The operation is being conducted by the SIT under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) led by ACP Kavitha.

The team is examining documents, electronic devices, and other materials related to the rape and honey-trapping case. The SIT is being supported by experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), with Superintendent of Police (SP) Sowmya Latha also participating in the search and inspection at Munirathna’s Vyalikaval residence.

According to sources, the raids were triggered by information provided by the victim, who alleged that Munirathna recorded footage of sexual assaults and used it to blackmail politicians and public servants, including IAS and IPS officers.

The victim reportedly revealed that she was used to entrap the woman who had lodged a rape case against a senior IFS officer. She was allegedly instructed to frame the rape victim in a drug peddling case.

The complainant told police that she was tasked with capturing compromising videos of the rape victim who had filed the case against the IFS officer. She claimed that, after several failed attempts to obtain the videos, the victim was drugged with sleeping pills, and obscene footage was recorded without her consent. Later, the IFS officer was bailed out from the charges.

Furthermore, the complainant has accused MLA Munirathna of raping her at his office within the state legislature, in his official vehicle, and at his godown. She has alleged that he recorded videos of these assaults.

Police sources also revealed that the victim in the MLA's case provided details of a plot involving sending HIV-infected women to Munirathna's targets in an attempt to ruin them politically and personally. She also disclosed the names of several politicians whom she had entrapped through honey-trapping.

The woman further claimed that Munirathna had threatened to have her son kidnapped and killed if she refused to comply with his demands. According to her, the MLA had a well-organised team dedicated to carrying out these honey-trapping operations, and she provided details about his close associates and relatives involved in the scheme.

Munirathna, who was in judicial custody following his arrest in the rape and honey-trap case, has now been taken into the custody of the SIT.

The MLA was transferred from Bengaluru Central Jail to the CID office on the night of September 24. The BJP legislator, however, has denied all the allegations, claiming they are false.

Karnataka Congress leader D.K. Suresh had alleged that Munirathna was trying to infect his adversaries with HIV and that the government should investigate the matter.

Comments