Bengaluru, Mar 10 (IANS): Giving a clean chit to former minister Ramesh Jarakiholi, Janata Dal (S) leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday that Jarakiholi is innocent and none should stoop so low to make short term gains in politics.

Interacting with mediapersons, Kumaraswamy said that there should be an end to such heinous blackmailing tactics.

"There is no doubt that for us (Gowda family), politics is the mainstay but one should not stoop so low to tarnish a person in this manner. There are many methods available in politics through which one can win over his rivals, but not in this way," he said.

Taking a jibe at six ministers who had approached the court to secure an ex-parte order to restrain media houses, Kumaraswamy said that if their (six ministers) conscience is clear, then why did they approach the court?

"It is clear that someone makes such a move only when he knows that he can be blackmailed or someone might be blackmailing him already. I don't know who gave this brilliant idea to them," he said.

Trying to link the entire CD saga with the leaders' stay in Mumbai prior to the toppling of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in 2019, Kumarswamy said that these ministers are part of 12 MLAs who had gone to Mumbai and stayed there. "I do not know whether this entire episode is linked to their stay there," he said.

"These six ministers securing court injunction shows that their conscience is not clear. It proves that they have approached the court in self doubt. In public life, one should not let his guard down," he said.