Bengaluru, August 19: JDS chief HD Deve Gowda on Monday hit out at BS Yediyurappa-led Karnataka government for focussing on the phone-tapping case at a time when the people in the state were facing the wrath of the deluge. Former Karnataka chief minister, Deve Gowda's comments came a day after Yediyurappa announced that the phone tapping case filed during the previous government-led HD Kumaraswamy, will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as many leaders have demanded a probe into the matter.

"I have been the prime minister. I have never seen politics like this. People of flood-affected Karnataka are suffering and the state government wants to talk about the phone-tapping case," Deve Gowda said during a press conference here. "Setting all responsibilities aside, they are debating on the phone-tapping case in Karnataka. Let us move forward. Lakhs of people have been affected by the floods in the state. The focus should be on helping them and not playing blame games. top this game of mud throwing," the former prime minister said. Newspaper Editor, Staff Booked For Report on HD Deve Gowda Family After JDS Poor Show in Lok Sabha Elections.

 The allegations of illegal phone tapping against HD Kumaraswamy initially stormed in after rebel JD(S) and Congress MLAs, who were later disqualified from their respective parties, claimed that the former chief minister got their phones tapped.
Reportedly, former state president of JD(S), AH Vishwanath, who was also among the dissenters, alleged that around 300 personal phones of leaders, including senior Congress leader S Siddaramiah, were tapped by Kumaraswamy. However, Kumaraswamy has denied all the allegations and said that he was ready to face any investigation into the alleged phone tapping case.