‘Frustrated statement from restless souls’: CM Siddaramaiah refutes phone-tapping allegations, slams BJP, JD(S)

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a strong-worded response, denied the phone-tapping allegations by Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, 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 Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. Rubbishing the accusations, Siddaramaiah called it an attempt to sour the relationship between the two senior Congress leaders. The allegations came in the backdrop of a speculated tussle between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar for the CM post.

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 Kalla Itarara 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.

ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಇತ್ತೀಚಿನ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಇತಿಹಾಸದ ಪುಟಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಕಣ್ಣಾಡಿಸಿದರೆ ಈ ಫೋನ್ ಕದ್ದಾಲಿಕೆ, ಗೂಢಚರ್ಯೆಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ಯಾವ ಪಕ್ಷದ ದುಷ್ಕೃತ್ಯಗಳು ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಅರಿವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ದುರ್ಬುದ್ದಿಯ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದಾಗಿಯೇ ರಾಜ್ಯ ರಾಜಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಪರೇಷನ್ ಕಮಲ, ರೆಸಾರ್ಟ್ ರಾಜಕಾರಣ, ವಚನಭಂಗದಂತಹ ಅನಿಷ‍್ಠಗಳು ಕಾಣಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವುದು. 2004ರಿಂದ 2013… pic.twitter.com/sf5iuA5BoB

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) March 3, 2026

He wrote, “One of the accused was the Chief Minister of the state, the other was the Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister. During their time too, the Intelligence Department was with the Chief Minister. If we look at their statements, it seems that both of them are making these allegations based on the strength of their experience.”

“We are a party with internal democracy. The Congress is not like the BJP, which is in a state of trembling hands and feet in front of the Prime Minister, nor is it the JD(S), which is ruled by a single family. None of our MLAs is a supporter of me or DK Shivakumar; all are supporters of the Congress. They have all the freedom to express their opinions individually and have meals together within the framework of party discipline. But no matter what any MLA says, ultimately Shivakumar and I, including them, will bow to the orders of our party high command. We have both said this a hundred times. This is the ultimate truth,” Siddaramaiah added.

Calling Shivakumar a “staunch Congressman,” the CM added, “If the BJP and JD(S) leaders have any evil idea to spread false news and spoil our relationship and woo DK Shivakumar, I wish them all the best in their daydreams. Shivakumar is a staunch Congressman. The BJP has made every effort to subdue him by filing false cases and sending him to jail. Let these cunning leaders know that they remained loyal to the party despite all this.”

Siddaramaiah stated that in 2018, BJP leader BY Vijayendra had levelled phone-tapping allegations against HD Kumaraswamy during his tenure as the Chief Minister.

“If you take a look at the pages of Karnataka’s recent political history, you will realise which party’s misdeeds were all these phone tapping and espionage. It is because of this stupidity that evils like Operation Lotus, resort politics, and breaking of oath have appeared in state politics. The state has seen five Chief Ministers in the nine years from 2004 to 2013, and three Chief Ministers in the five years from 2018 to 2023, because of their mutual distrust, hatred, jealousy, and backstabbing tactics,” he wrote on X.

The CM said, “In 2018, when HD Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister, his current political partner BY Vijayendra had alleged that the phone of Pujya Nirmalanda Nath Swami of Adichunchanagiri was tapped. The CBI, which investigated this, had said that the phones of not just one Swamiji, but seven Swamijis were tapped. Will the BJP simply leave Kumaraswamy alone, who has proven himself untrustworthy? They may have also set up spies against him. Let us remember that the people of the state have rejected both these parties because of such foolishness.”

Refuting the rumours of a rift within the Karnataka Congress, Siddaramaiah affirmed that the current state government will complete its tenure with a Congress leader as the CM.

Hitting at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre, Siddaramaiah wrote, “It is a well-known fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been trying to control not only the leaders of the opposition parties but also those who can compete for his leadership within his own party by abusing his power through the government machinery. The entire country is talking about the misuse of the police, CBI, ED and IT departments in broad daylight. Do such people steal the phones of their political opponents and leave them alone? But let me make it clear that neither I nor any leader of my party will bow down to such threats.”

“Kumaraswamy may have been taught this lesson of espionage by his revered father. It is in the pages of history that the Congress party withdrew its support because he spied on Sitaram Kesari, the Congress party president, who made him the Prime Minister. It is a regrettable fact that Kannadigas missed the opportunity to become the Prime Minister for another long-time due to this distrust and petty things,” he said.

“I wish that HD Kumaraswamy and R. Ashoka, instead of wasting their precious moments in such crooked politics, would work as a constructive opposition party and do good for the state. The conscious voters of the state have given us a mandate to run the government for five years. Despite all the tricks and antics of the opposition parties, the Congress will complete this term and the Congress party will remain the Chief Minister in the state,” the X post read.

The speculations of a power tussle and the rumours around it began when the Siddaramaiah-led government completed 2.5 years in power back in November 2025, invoking a reported agreement within Congress to change the Karnataka CM at the halfway mark. (ANI)