Siddaramaiah Moves Court Over ‘False Publicity’; Son Yathindra Calls Video Fake

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has approached a court seeking a stay on what he described as "false publicity" against him on social media.

His son and Karnataka Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Tuesday dismissed the video at the centre of the controversy as fake, alleging that it was intended to tarnish his father's image.

"There was false publicity against me on social media. Hence, I am seeking a stay," the veteran Congress leader had told reporters late Monday night, without elaborating.

Yathindra said a complaint had also been filed seeking action against those responsible for circulating the video.

"They are spreading false propaganda. Can we simply sit back and watch?" he asked, adding that people unaware of the facts might believe the video was genuine.

"This is not a sting operation but a conspiracy to spread false propaganda and tarnish someone's image," Yathindra said, rejecting suggestions that the video amounted to a sting operation.

Asked whether the political situation had reached a point where leaders had to seek court intervention, he said even a senior leader like Siddaramaiah was being subjected to false allegations.

"The political situation today has deteriorated to such a low level. Even a senior leader like Siddaramaiah has to face such false allegations," he said.

Yathindra said his father had informed him about the video as soon as it surfaced and told him that he intended to file a complaint.

"I told him to go ahead and file the complaint after taking legal advice," he said.

Asked whether the developments had left him disappointed with the system, Yathindra said there was no reason to feel bad if one had done nothing wrong.

"One should feel bad only if one has done something wrong," the minister said.

"What can we do about the system? The system is in a bad state today. Once we enter politics, we have to face whatever comes our way," he added.