Bengaluru, Oct. 15 -- Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel and JDS State President H. D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday alleged that Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and journalist Rakesh Shetty had conspired to conduct a sting operation against former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, ultimately leading to his removal from office.

Speaking to the media, Kumaraswamy alleged that Siddaramaiah had fallen victim to a political conspiracy orchestrated by the Chief Minister and a journalist whom he accused of engaging in blackmail.

Kumaraswamy demanded the arrest of those allegedly involved in the conspiracy and said Shivakumar should be known as the "Sting Samrat of Karnataka".

He alleged that a coordinated operation had been carried out to force...