Karnataka Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Thursday, 15 October 2026, alleged that the Janata Dal (Secular) orchestrated the alleged sting operation targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and launched a sharp counter-attack on Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy over his remarks on the state's political situation. The minister made his remarks in Mandya, escalating an already charged political dispute in Karnataka.

Direct Attack on Kumaraswamy

Cheluvarayaswamy, widely regarded as a close associate of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, questioned Kumaraswamy's standing to weigh in on Karnataka's chief ministerial question. 'Who is Kumaraswamy? Who is he to refuse to accept D.K. Shivakumar as Chief Minister? What does he have to do with this?' he asked reporters, responding to Kumaraswamy's reported reluctance to accept Shivakumar in the top post.

'He is a Union Minister. Let him do his job. He must be out of his mind to make such statements instead of concentrating on his responsibilities,' Cheluvarayaswamy added, setting the tone for a broadside that covered multiple political pressure points.

JD(S) Accused of Circulating the Sting Video

The minister directly accused the Janata Dal (Secular) of being behind the circulation of the alleged sting footage. 'Who else could carry out such a sting operation if not the Janata Dal? A video claiming that a sting operation had been conducted against Siddaramaiah is being circulated through their social media pages. The police have arrested those accused of circulating the video. What is wrong with that?' he said.

He also questioned the timing of the video's release, asking why footage reportedly described as old was surfacing only now. Notably, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has already obtained a court order restraining the circulation of the video and has also lodged a formal police complaint. The Congress government subsequently detained several JD(S) workers in connection with the case.

Kumaraswamy's 'Sudden Concern' Questioned

Cheluvarayaswamy challenged what he described as Kumaraswamy's newfound sympathy for Siddaramaiah, alleging it was politically motivated. 'How has Kumaraswamy suddenly developed such concern and affection for Siddaramaiah when he had shown none until now? He is the one who creates a problem and then pretends to be helping resolve it,' he alleged.

The minister went further, challenging Kumaraswamy to escalate the matter federally: 'Let Kumaraswamy speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hand over the matter to the investigative agencies for a probe.'

Prajwal Revanna Case Invoked

In a pointed reference, Cheluvarayaswamy brought up the Hassan pen drive case involving former Hassan JD(S) Member of Parliament Prajwal Revanna, who is Kumaraswamy's nephew. 'Kumaraswamy claims that injustice was done only to Prajwal Revanna in the Hassan pen drive case. He has not shown even the slightest concern for the hundreds of women who were victims,' he alleged, framing Kumaraswamy's intervention as selective and self-serving.

Political Context and What Comes Next

The row is the latest flashpoint in Karnataka's simmering political drama, which involves an unresolved Congress leadership transition question, the defamatory video targeting Siddaramaiah, and the JD(S)–Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance's efforts to destabilise the ruling government. This comes amid continuing pressure on Siddaramaiah over multiple fronts, including a separate land allocation controversy.

With detentions already made and a court order in place, the controversy is set to deepen as the BJP-JD(S) combine is likely to sharpen its attack. The Congress, for its part, appears to have adopted an aggressive counter-narrative strategy, positioning the sting as a politically motivated fabrication.