BENGALURU: Five days after making explosive claims in the assembly that he and several other political functionaries, cutting across party lines, had been honeytrapped, cooperation minister K N Rajanna Tuesday formally submitted a petition with home minister G Parameshwara, seeking legal action against those involved.
Clarifying his earlier statement in the assembly, Rajanna denied ever saying judges were among the victims. “I had only said politicians were involved, not judges. I said several politicians have approached courts, seeking injunctions. I was misquoted by BJP members,” he clarified. His statement follows a PIL filed in SC by a Jharkhand-based advocate, seeking a CBI probe into the alleged incident.
Rajanna met Parameshwara at the latter’s Sadashivanagar residence in Bengaluru and handed over a three-page petition, detailing the sequence of events.
However, the home minister, who had earlier promised a high-level inquiry once a formal complaint was filed, was evasive Tuesday, citing procedural constraints. Since the issue was raised and discussed in the assembly, Parameshwara pointed out that it was speaker UT Khader who was the custodian of the discussion and his assistance was necessary to initiate any further action.
Reacting to his observations, Khader said: “I am not aware of the home minister’s statement, but if the points raised by Rajanna are a property of the House, then the assurance by the minister on the floor of the House is also property of the House. I shall look into the minister’s statement and discuss it,” he said.
Parameshwara also described Rajanna’s submission as a “representation” rather than a formal complaint, saying that any police action would require directives from Speaker Khader.
Saying that the state would not wait for the SC verdict on the PIL and would act independently, Parameshwara added he would discuss it with CM Siddaramaiah before considering any action.
Sharing details of the alleged honeytrap attempt that targeted him, Rajanna said: “I received a woman twice in my office in Bengaluru, along with a guy. The woman claimed she was a lawyer and wanted to speak to me in person on some issues.”
On the delay in filing a formal plaint, Rajanna cited prior commitments in Tumakuru, Kolar, and Bengaluru.