Phone-tapping row: Kumaraswamy hits back at CM Siddaramaiah's claims

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy denies CM Siddaramaiah's phone-tapping allegations, calling them 'public squabbling.' He countered that if he had engaged in such acts, he would have retained power, and accused Congress of inventing the practice.

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has refuted the allegations levelled against him by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the phone-tapping row, claiming that such statements are just part of "public squabbling."

HD Kumaraswamy and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, reportedly accused CM Siddaramaiah of surveillance against Deputy CM DK Shivakumar amid the speculated power tussle within Congress. However, denying the allegations, Siddaramaiah accused Kumaraswamy of phone-tapping back in 2018, when he was the Karnataka CM.

'If I Had Tapped Phones, I Might Have Retained Power'

In a press statement on Tuesday, the Union Minister directly took on the Chief Minister, questioning both the intent and the substance of the accusations. He said if he had engaged in phone-tapping, he would have retained power. "I have lost power twice. You are aware that history never remains silent. Nor can you escape its judgment, Siddaramaiah. Had I engaged in phone tapping, I might have retained power at any cost. If I had chosen that path, I could have uncovered what plots were unfolding within Siddhavana. But I had no such desire, nor do I regret what I lost. It is that guilty conscience which now haunts you like a shadow. Phone tapping is not my trait if anything, it is an invention of the Congress party and a culture you seem to have inherited," Kumaraswamy said.

Kumaraswamy further remarked, "I presume you have found yourself with ample leisure time these days. Instead of focusing on governance, you appear preoccupied with issuing counters. When someone cries 'pumpkin thief' and pats his own shoulder in anxiety, what am I to do? It is the media that has been speaking about phone tapping. I merely responded. Observing your elaborate narratives, one is compelled to conclude that you display greater enthusiasm for targeting others than for administering the State."

'Chair Battle Within Your Own Party'

Further, he accused Siddaramaiah of using an "intelligence apparatus" against Shivakumar. Stating that the Opposition is merely discharging its duty, Kumaraswamy said, "When the people generously gave you 140 seats, the expectation was governance, not public squabbling. Both the Opposition and sections of the media suspect that the phone tapping episode is an extension of the ongoing chair battle within your own party. Where questions arise, the Opposition will ask them. Answer them. Avoid diversion and speak the truth. Isn't Satyameva Jayate your stated principle? Why waste time weaving stories?"

He added, "I served two brief terms as Chief Minister. Neither was a fully independent government. Why would I indulge in such acts? Unlike you, I do not subscribe to the practice of sitting in comfort and destabilising homes by politically brainwashing legislators. I have witnessed both your earlier five-year tenure and your present intelligence apparatus."

Attack on Congress's 'Internal Democracy'

Although Siddaramiah had cited internal democracy within Congress as his defence, Kumaraswamy said he had no fascination for measuring the "diameter and radius" of internal democracy within the party. "Even after more than a century of existence, must the Congress repeatedly insist that it alone embodies internal democracy? A party that imposed Emergency upon the nation and tightened its grip around the neck of democracy cannot claim deep democratic roots. Invoking Mahatma Gandhi for political gain, appropriating democracy for expediency, and wielding social justice for electoral harvest have been your politics. It is for this reason that India steadily moves towards a Congress-free future," he asserted.

"Democracy," he said, "means governance of the people, by the people, and for the people. It does not mean legislators are engaging in factionalism. It does not mean MLAs abusing the Chief Minister on the streets or shouting at the Deputy Chief Minister in public. It does not mean clinging to office with repeated assertions of 'I alone shall remain CM for five years.' It certainly does not mean proclaiming in the Assembly that a chair must be seized by force. Nor does it mean intimidating the fourth pillar, the media, under the guise of advertisements, or dividing society along caste and religious lines for power."

Referring to tensions within the Congress, Kumaraswamy remarked, "Your internal frictions do not concern us. But the simmering volcano of resentment within you has erupted on public platforms more than once. The people of this State are not unaware of smiles exchanged in public and daggers drawn behind the scenes. May your friendship endure and may you honour your commitments to your associate, Mr 'Agreement' Ramayya."

'Why Drag PM Modi, Deve Gowda Into It?'

Questioning the Chief Minister's attempt to bring up Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name, Kumaraswamy said, "Why drag PM Narendra Modi into the stain that clings to you? Examine your own plate. The people know what is happening in this State. I am equally aware of what the so-called Investigation Team (SIT) is pursuing. Misuse of authority and vendetta against the Opposition appear to be your natural tendencies. Burdened with such infirmities, why cast aspersions upon others?"

The Union Minister further criticised Siddaramaiah for repeatedly mentioning former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda during confrontations. "Whenever you engage in a direct confrontation with me, you drag Deve Gowda into it. He was your political mentor, the leader who recognised and nurtured you, even at the cost of alienating many within his own ranks. Yet, when the moment suited you, you turned against your mentor. By invoking him now, you merely remind the public of your own duplicity," he said.

He also recalled past episodes, asking Siddaramaiah to reflect on which party he belonged to when Deve Gowda lost power in Delhi, and to remember his remarks at the time about Sitaram Kesri and later about senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. "Deve Gowda relinquished office with dignity. The moment he announced his resignation, former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee extended unconditional support on the floor of Parliament. Yet he declined power with humility. You were shaped in that very school of politics. Show that spirit of courage and principled sacrifice at least once. Demonstrate loyalty to your associate. If defeat comes, one must accept it like a warrior. I have faced defeat; I have not fled. I do not retreat like a deserter. Remember that," Kumaraswamy added.

Siddaramaiah Calls Allegations 'Frustrated Statement'

Earlier on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah refuted the allegations against him, calling them a "frustrated statement from restless souls."

In an X post, Siddaramaiah shared the media reports where the Opposition leaders accused the Chief Minister of surveillance against DK Shivakumar. Rubbishing the accusations, Siddaramaiah called it an attempt to sour the relationship between the two senior Congress leaders.

The Chief Minister wrote, "The allegations of opposition leaders, R Ashoka and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, that phone tapping is being done to spy on Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar are like the proverb 'Ta khul athar namba'. This is a frustrated statement from restless souls. This time, after our party came to power, these unemployed opposition leaders have been trying to sour the relationship between DK Shivakumar and me. Let both of them know that this may empty the sourness that has filled them, but it will not have any effect on our relationship like milk and honey."

While the reported allegations were inferred from CM Siddaramaiah handling the intelligence department, he stated that even earlier, the CMs have held the department under them. Further, he said that the BJP and JD(S) want DK Shivakumar in their camp. (ANI)

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