In February this year, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, on the floor of the House, ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into an alleged audiotape of BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa attempting to poach legislators.

The SIT was to submit a report within 15 days on  Yeddyurappa purportedly claiming to have paid Rs 50 crore to Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. Four months down the line, the entire idea of an SIT has been given a quiet burial.

With the coalition’s survival hanging by a slender thread, Congress and JDS do not want to do anything that could jeopardise the situation any further.

The SIT probe that was ordered on the insistence of Ramesh Kumar has been buried deep much to the convenience of the coalition, the BJP and Ramesh Kumar himself.

The entire seven-day budget session in February was stalled with the House clocking barely 15 hours over the controversial poaching tapes.

Kumaraswamy had ordered the SIT probe on Ramesh Kumar’s insistence despite BJP’s stiff opposition. The entire exercise now looks like a charade with the government taking no steps to even form an SIT leave alone launch an investigation.

“Four months have passed by and not a single officer has been identified to be part of the SIT. It is highly unlikely that the proposal will move forward given the political situation in the state. It is as good as dead,” said a source from the Chief Minister’s office confirming that no order or notification has been issued so far for the formation of the SIT.

With the coalition trying hard to keep its numbers intact, ministers in the government believe that raking up the SIT will only cause more trouble.

“Nobody wants to stir up a hornet’s nest given the current scenario,”  said a Congress minister saying that it was in everybody’s best interest not to rake up the issue at least for now.

Leaders of the JDS said that party supremo H D Deve Gowda has asked Kumaraswamy not to pursue the matter.

“It will come as an embarrassment to Yeddyurappa, eventually Lingayat legislators and the entire Lingayat community that is already miffed with the coalition. Gowda has suggested that it is best to leave it alone,” said a JDS leader close to Kumaraswamy and Gowda.