Daijiworld Media Network - Ballari (SP)

Ballari, Oct 22: Since the last many days the angry barbs from Jarkiholi brothers against Shivakumar had stopped, and everyone presumed that the enmity between the two, which started after Shivakumar allegedly, dabbled in Belagavi politics, had been sorted out. But minister Ramesh Jarkiholi expressed his anger at Shivakumar again.

Speaking to media persons at Kudligi in the district on Sunday October 21, Ramesh Jarkiholi advised water resources and Ballari district in-charge minister Shivakumar to stop his showmanship and concentrate on his work which he is expected to attend to.

"In Ballari Lok Sabha bypoll, there had been demand for issuing the party ticket to Venkatesh Prasad, brother of MLA, Nagendra. The ticket was issued to someone else at the last minute. Chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, was not behind this move. I do not know who conspired against Venkatesh's nomination. Still, I will discharge the responsibilities entrusted to me by the party. At the same time, D K Shivakumar should stop projecting himself as a leader and he should do the work given to him," he said.

He expressed the view that Shivakumar was not right in issuing statement publicly against the creation of Lingayat religion, after remaining quiet at the cabinet meeting on the issue. Jarkiholi expressed the opinion that Shivakumar was driven by the objective of placing the blame on former chief minister, Siddaramaiah. "Speaking about independent religion status to Lingayat and offering apologies are entirely Shivakumar’s own personal matters. Still, if he had any objections, he could have raised them at the cabinet meeting. His own follower, Laxmi Hebbalkar, backed the issue of separate religion status for Lingayat, and Shivakumar did not say anything then. Why did he not stop Hebbalkar from speaking on the Lingayat religion in every meeting?" he wanted to know.

Jarkiholi said that when the issue of Lingayat religion came up for discussions in the cabinet meeting, working president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, Ishwar Khandre, and S S Mallikarjun, were the only two who spoke for and against the proposal. “Shivakumar should come out and explain why he has changed his stance all of a sudden and issuing statements as per his own whims and fancies," he urged.

Jarkiholi said that he will honestly discharge duties as the in-charge of Kudligi assembly constituency for the bypoll as per the wishes of his party. He explained that he did not know about the party meeting held at Hospet on Sunday evening and hence he did not attend it. He said he will do the work as per the diktats of the party high command.