Congress insiders behind ‘sting op’ on Siddaramaiah, says his minister son Yathindra

Karnataka Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah has accused some Congress insiders of orchestrating a "sting operation" aimed at damaging the reputation of his father, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Yathindra and his father spoke publicly for the first time about the "fake sting video" from 2023, stating that Power TV Managing Director Rakesh Shetty was involved.

Shetty has been granted interim bail after being summoned by the local police. Siddaramaiah obtained a court injunction against the video's airing, arguing that it was defamatory and intended to blackmail him. The video allegedly features a woman from Mangaluru and Shetty, who has admitted to conducting the false operation. Yathindra claims the woman in the video was a Congress worker, suggesting that the sting was intended to help her secure an election ticket for Puttur Assembly polls in 2023.

He maintains that there are no party-wide suspicions and emphasized that the truth will emerge through the ongoing investigation.