BELAGAVI: After his desperate attempts for the past few weeks to exert pressure on the BJP high command to return to the cabinet, former Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has decided against quitting his MLA’s post under pressure from his brothers and the party leadership, which assured him that he will be reinducted into the cabinet soon.
Before Ramesh’s scheduled meeting with former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday, the Jarkiholi brothers went into a huddle in Gokak to discuss alternatives available for Ramesh to avoid quitting his seat. According to sources, Ramesh had a marathon meeting with brothers Balachandra and Lakhan Jarkiholi, and brother-in-law Ambirao Patil, and finally decided not to quit.
A source close to the Jarkiholis said that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and the BJP high command had assured Ramesh that he would be back in the cabinet once the sex CD case is closed. Already, the government is about to close the case by filing a B-report, but is waiting as the case is pending before court. The brothers have decided to wait for some more time, and Ramesh reportedly agreed to drop his decision to resign, sources added.
Balachandra Jarkiholi, chairman of Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), was able to persuade Ramesh against taking a hasty decision and asked him not to meet the party high command or Chief Minister Yediyurappa until all legal hurdles were cleared. The brothers also discussed the possible political fallout if Ramesh resigned, with the case pending before court.
Soon after the brothers’ meeting ended in Gokak, Ramesh left for Bengaluru, cancelling his scheduled visit to Mumbai today. The three brothers will be holding a joint press conference in Gokak in the next few days to make Ramesh’s stand clear. The Jarkiholis are confident that the CD case will be closed by the government, as expected, and Ramesh will be back in the cabinet with the same portfolio.
Though the Jarkiholi brothers are with different political parties, one of them has been in the state cabinet, irrespective of which government has been in power in the past 15 years. With Ramesh’s exit from the cabinet, the brothers are desperate to see him back in power.