Bengaluru, March 4 -- Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has refuted the allegations levelled against him by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the phone-tapping row, claiming that such statements are just part of "public squabbling."

HD Kumaraswamy and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, reportedly accused CM Siddaramaiah of surveillance against Deputy CM DK Shivakumar amid the speculated power tussle within Congress. However, denying the allegations, Siddaramaiah accused Kumaraswamy of phone-tapping back in 2018, when he was the Karnataka CM.

In a press statement on Tuesday, the Union Minister directly took on the Chief Minister, questioning both the intent and the substance of the accusations. He said if he had engaged in...