Siddaramaiah names Kripa Alva, Power TV owner Rakesh Shetty in alleged sting operation row

The alleged sting operation targeting former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took a fresh turn on Friday, October 23, with his son and Mysuru district in-charge minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah alleging that a Congress woman leader aspiring for a party ticket to contest the Assembly elections was involved.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Yathindra claimed the woman was keen on securing a Congress ticket to contest from the Puttur Assembly constituency in Dakshina Kannada district. He alleged that she had joined hands with the head of a media organisation to carry out the operation. 

“It has been evident in the video that our own party leader and a media institution head were involved in this sting operation. Prima facie it appears that a woman Congress leader has done the sting operation, and attempted to get the ticket for assembly election for Puttur, as she has stated in the video,” Yathindra said. 

Yathindra did not name either person. Siddaramaiah later identified the woman as Kripa Alva and the media representative as Rakesh Shetty, owner of Power TV, while speaking to reporters.

Kripa Alva is a KPCC spokesperson. 

Yathindra said an investigation was necessary to establish whether the two had acted on their own or whether others were behind the episode. “Just because one party worker has done this, we cannot say that the entire party is against us,” he said. 

Soon after, KPCC president BK Hariprasad said in Mysuru that a show-cause notice would be issued to Alva.  

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy alleged on Friday that Shetty and Alva had played a key role in orchestrating the alleged operation. He attributed the episode to internal political rivalry within the Congress and demanded to know who the “kingpin” was.