Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working President Satish Jarkiholi denied that the Jarkiholi family has been associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for long, following comments from Water Resources and District Incharge Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi implying the same.
"We have never seen Ramesh wear a black cap or Khaki shorts of RSS, but have seen him wearing skull caps worn by Muslims and visiting their shrines. Ramesh has always batted for Muslims and we expect him not to change his ideology by joining BJP," he said.
Jarkiholi told reporters on Friday that our father Laxmanrao had a friend named Patravali in Gokak town who was associated with RSS. As friends, they used to spend many of the evenings together in Patravali’s jewelry shop. He said that this does not show a strong association with RSS, saying that their father also participated in the Goa liberation movement and it was in no way concerned with RSS.
The KPCC working president said such statements were unacceptable.
Talking about BJP's upcoming Jansevak Samavesh at the District Stadium on Sunday, Jarkiholi said BJP has been violating Covid-19 protocols by organising such conventions while temples like Renuka Yallamma at Savadatti have been closed to avoid crowds. More than 3 lakh people are expected to attend this event and will be addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. People will teach them a lesson at an appropriate time, he said.
The stadium has a capacity to accommodate just over 50,000 people if packed. And if Covid-19 protocols are followed, even the minimum number of people cannot be accommodated, he said.
Jarkiholi said we expect the by-election for Belgaum Lok Sabha Constituency to be announced next week. The Congress candidate’s name will be sent to the high command for approval. He added that he may be one of the candidates.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks