Terming Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s statement about taking his suggestion before seeking a CBI probe into the phone-tapping episode “a 100% lie”, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he had neither spoken to Mr. Yediyurappa nor suggested an inquiry by any central agency.
Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, he said that if Mr. Yediyurappa sought his suggestion, he would advice him to conduct an inquiry into ‘Operation Lotus’ and hand it over to the CBI.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said crores of black money had been spent on purchasing MLAs. “If Mr. Yediyurappa asks me, my suggestion would be to seek a CBI probe into Operation Lotus,” he said. Clarifying his statement on suggesting an inquiry into the phone-tapping case, he said he was told that the phones of his personal assistant could also have been tapped. “I was told that my PA’s phone could have been tapped. So I said if they think it has happened, then let it be inquired. However, why only the CBI? It could have been handed over to local police agencies or even to a judicial commission,” he said.
