BELAGAVI/BENGALURU: The Jarkiholi brothers seem to be getting a taste of their own medicine with legislators from Ballari sending a strong message that their interference was not required in the district affairs — exactly what the brothers did to Water Resources minister DK Shivakumar.
A team of Ballari MLAs reached New Delhi on Wednesday to appeal to the high command not to bow to Jarkiholi brothers’ demand of making Ballari Rural MLA B Nagendra a minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government.
Three MLAs from the district visited Delhi on the day Satish Jarkiholi was scheduled to meet the central leadership. Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, Ramesh Jarkiholi visited D K Shivakumar in a hospital where the latter has been undergoing treatment.
While Satish Jarkiholi was slated to meet AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, MLAs Bheema Naik, Ganesh and Tukaram were in New Delhi to apprise the high command of their demand for a minister from Ballari and to complain against Jarkiholis. The two brothers lobbying for Nagendra, who hails from the ST community, hasn’t gone down well with the MLAs who have urged the high command to pick an “original Congressman” as a minister. Former Kalaghatgi MLA Santosh Lad is being seen as the force behind the three MLAs.
“Rahul Gandhi has been appraised of our issues and he has taken due note,” said Satish Jarkiholi on Wednesday. The MLA’s tone, along with his brother’s sudden concern for D K Shivakumar against whom they had begun a tirade, showed signs of the duo preparing to take a step back from the ongoing crisis.
The trio of MLAs from Bellary is expected to meet Venugopal and other AICC leaders on Thursday to urge the leadership to give prominence to original Congress leaders over Nagendra who was with BJP earlier.