After being axed from the cabinet, Senior Congress leader Ramesh Jarkiholi appears to be giving a hard time for the leaders of the Congress-JDS coalition, as the Congress strongman has kept himself isolated from the party leaders amidst the rumours of him joining the BJP.
Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was disgruntled after being dropped from the HD Kumaraswamy led cabinet last week, has reportedly met BJP President Amit Shah stoking fears in the Congress-JDS camp. Ramesh Jarkiholi reportedly has met senior leaders BJP leaders on Saturday night and he has assured the BJP leaders of bringing at least 12-14 MLAs required from the ruling coalition to bring down the H.D. Kumaraswamy government.
According to the reports, BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa had extended his stay in New Delhi which has led to speculation of BSY arranging a meeting between Ramesh and BJP president Amit Shah to discuss the possible formation of BJP government in the state. It is also being reported that Ramesh Jarkiholi may join the party and contest the Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket.
Jarkiholi brothers, who belong to Valmiki community belong to one of the strongest political families of the state. Three out of five brothers are elected MLAs from different political parties and carries huge political clout across the state with a guaranteed cabinet post for one of the brothers. The Jarkiholi brothers representing Belagavi district are considered to be the kingmakers in the state politics because of their ability to control various other leaders of the North Karnataka. Belagavi itself has 18 seats, second next to Bengaluru and over the years Jarkiholi family have patronised many leaders belonging to Belagavi and surrounding areas making them the most influential in the state politics.
Apart from this, the Congress-JDS coalition government has been facing heat from Dalit groups after it removed Deputy CM Parameshwar from Home Ministry to appoint MB Patil, a Lingayat as the new Home Minister. CM HD Kumaraswamy has been battling severe criticism over his failure to implement loan waiver promised before the polls, which has already consumed two lives in the state.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders like Ramalinga Reddy has been disenchanted with the coalition government after he was not included in the cabinet. Amidst all these events, the Chief Minister of Karnataka has left the country to enjoy his vacation in Singapore on the occasion of New Year. It has created a lot of anger in the public as CM Kumaraswamy has left the state to enjoy a holiday at a time when the state is suffering from severe drought.
Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has also been facing the wrath of the public after he had ordered for an ‘encounter‘ of the accused involved in the murder of a Janata Dal-Secular(JDS) party worker. A complaint has also been registered by an activist against the Chief Minister for ordering to ‘mercilessly kill’ an accused.