R. Ashoka Alleges ‘Snooping’ By Siddaramaiah Amid Karnataka Congress Power Struggle

Political tensions in Karnataka have intensified after Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of deploying state intelligence agencies to monitor legislators believed to be loyal to Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar.

Ashoka alleged that a special team headed by a senior police officer had been tasked with tracking the movements, meetings and even phone conversations of certain Congress MLAs. He claimed that this “invisible SIT” was operating without formal orders and was aimed at identifying lawmakers backing Shivakumar amid an internal power tussle within the ruling party.

According to Ashoka, the alleged surveillance was politically motivated and intended to secure Siddaramaiah’s leadership position. He further claimed that development funds and constituency grants of some legislators were being restricted as part of the strategy.

The allegations surfaced shortly after a private birthday gathering in Bengaluru attended by several MLAs seen as close to Shivakumar, fuelling speculation about shifting loyalties within the Congress legislature party.

The state government, however, strongly denied the charges. Karnataka IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge dismissed the claims as baseless and accused the BJP of making routine, unsubstantiated accusations. He questioned how the opposition leader had access to any intelligence inputs and urged him to provide proof rather than making public allegations.

Backing Ashoka, Legislative Council Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said the senior BJP leader would not make such statements without credible information and criticised the Congress for trivialising the issue.

As the war of words continues, the controversy has further highlighted underlying tensions within the Karnataka Congress government, even as opposition leaders seek to capitalise on signs of internal discord.