BELAGAVI:  Terming the arrest of Congress leader DK Shivakumar by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as “political vendetta”, senior Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi alleged that there are many leaders in the BJP who are bigger than Shivakumar, who could have been trapped by the ED. Income-Tax sleuths had raided the properties of disqualified MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi a few months ago, but the latter hastily defected to the BJP, fearful of getting caught in the ED net, said Satish. To avoid investigation by the I-T department, Ramesh toppled the coalition government and switched parties, he added. 

The BJP had asked Shivakumar to join the party, but he had declined, Satish said. “Shivakumar’s arrest is politically-motivated. Attempts were being made to suppress him politically for staying with the Congress. There are Congress leaders facing similar cases but have been allowed to go scot-free as they switched over to the BJP. Cases against such Congress leaders were even closed,” he claimed.

Satish Jarkihioli slammed the state government for its callousness in handling the flood situation and said the Centre had failed to release compensation to the victims. A series of agitations are being planned by the Congress party in the region, with former Home Minister MB Patil leading the charge against the Centre and state government to take up flood relief measures.

BJP governments always operated on a particular agenda and never worked for people’s welfare, he alleged, recalling Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s assurances to people of flood-hit areas.