Bengaluru: When Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa met national BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday, little did he know what was coming his way. On the issue of phone tapping, involving former CM HD Kumaraswamy, Amit Shah has supposedly asked him to hand over the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

But why?

Does Amit Shah know very well that the state BJP leaders are a divided house and the opposition, chiefly, HD Kumaraswamy might make inroads into the split house and exact revenge, thereby felling the BSY government?

So is this a ploy of the BJP top brass to keep the opposition under check, by unleashing the CBI?

Also read: Karnataka phone tapping case: List of state’s 3 other cases CBI is investigating

M Arivalagan, a JD(S) spokesperson said, “HD Kumaraswamy has made it clear he is ready for any probe. He has also made it clear no such thing has happened during 14 months of his rule. Additionally, the former CM has also asked the probe to cover BSY’s tenure as the CM as well. Will it happen?”

He further added, “The victims of floods are livid with the BJP. So they want to change the narrative. To overcome this, they are doing it. 17 districts have been hit by floods. The Centre has done nothing. Not even one rupee has been released. Moreover, the CM has no faith in government agencies. They have come to power through the back door. If the probe continues sincerely, even the BJP will be affected as it has performed Operation Lotus.”

KE Radhakrishna, vice-president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committe (KPCC) said, “BJP will hold no bar, suppressing the dissent by any means. Tapping is against basic principles. It must be enquired. But it is not to keep your political opponents under check. What moral high ground do they have when their ethical base is corroded?”

Chief minister Yediyurappa himself must have been puzzled by the top brass’s decision to go for a CBI probe.

Also watch: Phone tapping case: Karnataka leaders getting jittery as ball in CBI's court