Is there a Siddaramaiah hand to the Jarkiholi rebellion in Congress?
Is there a Siddaramaiah hand to the Jarkiholi rebellion in Congress?

Is there a Siddaramaiah hand to the Jarkiholi rebellion in Congress?

A sudden disruption or a planned show of dissent?:The rebellion by Jarkiholi brothers has started a new crisis in the Congress.

“Anything can happen in politics,” said Satish Jarkiholi, the Congress MLA from Yemkanmardi constituency in Belagavi. The sugar baron's statement on Tuesday came as a shock to many leaders in the Congress as the MLA along with his brother, Municipalities Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has threatened to quit the party if their demands are not met. 

“We want our party leaders to take us seriously. We hope the high command will take it seriously, intervene and sort out the issue at the earliest,” Satish Jarkiholi told the media on Tuesday.

He also said that around 12 MLAs in the Congress have been constantly in touch with his brother Ramesh and were willing to support him in the battle against the party. While Satish spoke about an uncertain future, Ramesh told the media that everything had been sorted out, adding to the confusion. 

Though Satish Jarkiholi maintains that this new show of dissent had stemmed from the shift of power in the Belagavi congress, sources in the party say they believe there is more to it than what meets the eye.

Speaking to TNM, a Congress leader said that the Jarkiholis had held a meeting with the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah before he left to Europe for a vacation and had planned the entire episode of sending the ultimatum well in advance.

“There were rumblings in the party that Siddaramaiah and the Jarkiholis had planned the show of dissent before he went for his trip to Europe. This way, Siddaramaiah could say he was not in town to monitor the goings-on as he is the head of the co-ordinating committee. The Jarkiholi brothers, who were believed to be loyalists of Siddaramaiah, wanted to stage a show of dissent so the high command would take them seriously,” the source added.

Independent MLA Nagendra from Ballari, also met Jarkiholi in a show of support. Nagendra was one of the MLAs, who had initially decided to side with the BJP during the trust vote. However, Industries Minister KJ George and Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar had convinced him to come back and support the Congress.

“A lot of Siddaramaiah’s loyalists have been sidelined. Parameshwara and DK Shivakumar’s camps are enjoying the power while it lasts. When DK Shivakumar’s loyalist, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, won the local co-operative society elections in Belagavi, the Jarkiholi brothers did not like it. Ever since the coalition government was formed, Lakshmi Hebbalkar’s camp has become dominant in Belagavi’s politics only because she is a trusted associate of DK Shivakumar," the source added.

The Jarkiholi brothers are said to be upset with the party for not heeding to their demands, which included giving state Congress President’s post to Satish and preventing Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar from interfering in Belagavi district politics.

“Earlier, they had full control of the Belagavi Congress and when they lost control suddenly. They just want to be noticed and recognised. They want to be powerful again,” the source said.

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