Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy told the State Legislative Assembly on Monday that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be constituted to probe into the audio tape scandal.
The Congress had released two audio tapes. In one of the tape, former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa is purportedly heard trying to lure an MLA with the promise of a ministerial berth if he backed the BJP during the trust vote.
The other tape had a conversation between Sharanagouda Kandakur, son of a Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) MLA, and Shivanagouda Nayak (a BJP MLA), where the MLA is heard telling Kandakur that the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker, KR Ramesh Kumar, was on BJP’s side as he had been booked and paid ₹50 crore.
A visibly upset Speaker made an emotional speech in the House on Monday before advising the government to set up a SIT.
“Whichever MLA took my name in the audio tape must step out of politics or I should be out of politics,” he said as the issue rocked the proceedings of the Budget Session.
Kumar cautioned Kumaraswamy that “this (SIT) should not lead to a witch hunt. The probe should be only to establish the truth.”
As the CM announced the decision, BJP members shouted vociferously and demanded the Speaker to reconsider his ruling on the issue.
They said a probe order issued by the Speaker, by an agency controlled by the Chief Minister, will not bring out the truth and may be utilised for political purposes.