A day after six ministers approached a Bengaluru city court seeking ex-parte restraining order against media houses from publishing or airing 'defamatory' content in the sleaze CD case, Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday expressed strong suspicion that 'some forces' could well be trying to create political instability in the state by resorting to blackmail with this episode.
Bommai told reporters that there is reason for his suspicion as even after five days neither the victim has come forward nor the complainant disclosed anything beyond what is already in public domain as the police investigates in the Jarkiholi case.
"Such long delays either by victim or by complainant can only mean one thing: a 'bigger political conspiracy' could well be at play in order to create political instability in the state. As a result of this, few ministers and MLAs might have felt it appropriate to take legal recourse to protect their reputation," the Minister, who also holds the law portfolio, said.
Responding to a question, Bommai said those who have got a whiff of strong rumours have either already approached or are in the process of approaching the court. "The police are also investigating this (Jarkiholi) case from all possible angles, including honeytrap," he said in response to a question.
Interacting with the media, Karnataka co-operation minister, ST Somashekhar revealed that the remaining 10 ministers who have crossed over to the BJP will also approach the court to seek similar reprieve.
He was reacting to reporters querying about him filing a petition in city court on Friday evening. Somashekhar said that it had become all the more important to safeguard their 'reputation' from being tarnished for political vendetta. "Maligning is the biggest weapon in the hands of our political rivals. This is only a precautionary measure," he said.
Karnataka Agriculture Minister, B.C. Patil justifying his decision to approach the court said that their reputation was at stake. "We have a lot of rivals as we are successful and manage our portfolios very well. As a result of this, we have earned our share of enemies too. Therefore, we got a 'hint' from our well wishers that before rivals strike with fake CDs, we have opted for preventive measure," he said.