Rajanna to file complaint on ''Honeytrap'' attempts with Karnataka Home Minister

Tumakuru: Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna on Tuesday said he would meet Home Minister G Parameshwara to file a complaint regarding the alleged attempt to "honeytrap" him.

He stated that, like others, he also wanted strict action against those involved in or supporting such acts of "honey trapping".

The minister’s decision came hours after Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru that Rajanna was yet to file a complaint regarding the alleged attempt.

"I will file a complaint today and submit it to the Home Minister because I had spoken about it in the Assembly and had said I would do so. Until today, I was unable to write the complaint due to various work-related commitments," Rajanna said.

Speaking to reporters, he added, "I have personally written the complaint and will submit it to the Home Minister today. I'm getting it typed... I will go wherever the Home Minister is and hand it over. I have detailed everything that happened in a three-page complaint."

Stating that he initially dismissed the issue, assuming such incidents were common, Rajanna said he began looking into it seriously after his name was mentioned in the Assembly.

"I have not installed CCTV cameras in my Bengaluru house. If they were there, we could have identified who came and went," he said.

He noted that the individuals who allegedly attempted to "honeytrap" him were strangers, and it needed to be investigated whether they acted independently or had someone behind them.

Revealing further details, he stated that among the people who had visited him twice in alleged 'honeytrap' attempts, the same man was present on both occasions, while the woman accompanying him was different each time.

"The woman who came the second time claimed to be a High Court lawyer. However, she was not wearing a lawyer's coat but was dressed in jeans and a blue top. They approached me, stating they had something important and confidential to discuss. I can recognise them if I see their photos," Rajanna said.

Last Thursday, Rajanna had informed the Assembly that honeytrap attempts were made on him and that at least 48 politicians across parties had fallen victim to such schemes.

The issue created a stir in the Assembly, prompting the Home Minister to announce a high-level probe, while the opposition demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting High Court judge.

Reacting to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in Supreme Court on this issue, Rajanna said, the PIL seeks CBI probe, claiming that he had referred to 'honey trapping' of judges, but the fact is that he has not spoken about judges.

"Have I said anything about judges? I haven’t. I only said that such attempts have been made on political leaders from all parties by their opponents to settle political scores. I never mentioned judges. Yet, someone has filed a PIL claiming that I did and that the case should be handed over to the CBI," he said, calling the petition misleading and based on "false information".

When asked about his travel plans, Rajanna said he would be visiting Delhi after March 30.

Regarding whether he would inform the Congress high command about the issue, he responded, "The matter has already reached the high command. They have not asked me anything personally, so I haven’t spoken to them. However, they have gathered information on their own and have spoken to the Chief Minister about it."

On concerns raised about him speaking on the issue in the Assembly, Rajanna admitted that he understood he should have discussed it in the cabinet or within the party first. However, he said he was compelled to address it in the Assembly because BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal had mentioned his name while referring to alleged "honey trapping" attempts.