Bengaluru, June 17: One of the main detractors of Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa, Hubli-Dharwad west constituency BJP MLA Aravind Bellad, on Thursday said that he 'believes' that his phone is being tapped and he is constantly being followed.

Bellad told reporters that he had already submitted a detailed letter to Assembly Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri and state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai in this regard.  Karnataka May Opt for Unlock in Phases From Next Week: State Revenue Minister R Ashoka

"I have sought their (Bommai and Kageri) intervention in this regard," he said in response to a question.

He added that his father Chandrakant Bellad had been a five- term MLA from the BJP and he himself is a MLA since 2013. Both have maintained an unblemished record in public life, Bellad said.

"All this started when I happened to receive a call from Yuvaraj Swami sometime ago. Since then I strongly believe that my phone is being tapped and I am being followed constantly," he claimed.

Answering a question, he said that he chanced to call an unknown number sometime ago, which responded saying that Swami was speaking. "Initially I thought it was some religious leader, but after that he introduced himself as Yuvaraj Swami, who had been jailed for some crime and had called me from hospital saying that he was in trouble. Realising that this was a trap laid for me, I immediately disconnected," he said.

He added that this episode speaks a lot about the efforts being made to fix him and malign him. "I don't know who is trying this. But this is a dangerous trend," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 17, 2021 07:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).