‘Miffed’ ST leader Jarkiholi quits AICC secretary post in Karnataka

In an attempt to put pressure on the Congress party and annoyed  for not getting ministerial birth  senior Congress leader and the powerful ST leader Satish Jarakiholi resigned from his post of  Secretary AICC.  He is the three time MLA from Yamakanamaradi from the north Karnataka sent his resignation letter to Congress party chief Rahul Gandhi. He told the media in Bengaluru that he had sent his resignation letter on Monday to AICC President Rahul Gandhi.  A powerful ST leader Satish  who countered BJP at Badami for former chief minister Siddaramaiah who won by a wafer thin margin is upset for not getting a birth in the cabinet. He said “Yes I have resigned as AICC secretary. I sent my resignation on Monday itself.”

He has been miffed ever since he did not get a birth in the Kumaraswamy led coalition Government as Congress selected his elder brother Ramesh Jarkiholi as a minister. He has joined other dissidents along with former water resource minister and powerful Lingayat leader MB Patil who is taking the lead in protesting against the selection of ministers. Even though Patil met Rahul Gandhi it did not yield any results and sulking and dissidence continue to haunt the congress which is a coalition partner in the government led by HD Kumaraswamy of the JDs. Satish was made AICC secretary to placate him after he was removed by the cabinet owing to his difference with the then Chief Minister  Siddaramaiah.

Speaking to reporters at his residence here on Wednesday, Jarkiholi said, six cabinet berths of the Congress quota are yet to be filled. “I do not want to become minister in the second round of cabinet expansion. I have the backing of 15 MLAs and effort will be made to get some of them inducted into the cabinet,” he declared. “There were no problems in the coalition government as far as allocation of berths was concerned. These are internal issues of the Congress and will be resolved within the party forum. A Meeting of dissatisfied MLAs of the party would be held on June 14 or 15, at Bengaluru”,  he said .” M B Patil has returned after meeting the high command and the fall out would be discussed at the meeting”, Jarkiholi added.

Meanwhile efforts are on to defuse the dissidence and senior congress leaders are meeting them. AICC secretary Manickam Tagore met senior  leaders HK Patil and Prakash Khandre, who are also unhappy over not getting berth in the cabinet. Tagore met HK Patil at his residence and assured them of placating them with opportunity in the next round.  Congress has still six vacant  births and high command is working out strategies to douse the fire by inducting some of them in a few days time.

Speaking to reporters after meeting, Prakash Khandre, Bhalki MLA,  who is also sulking said that he and other MLAs conveyed their feelings to AICC secretary.