Jarkiholi's cooker revelation stirs a controversy

Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi stirred a controversy on Tuesday claiming that the cookers were distributed out of his money in the run up to elections for Belagavi Rural Assembly constituency.

“I spent money for the cookers distributed in Belagavi Rural Assembly constituency. It was not the other person (MLA Laxmi Hebbalkar). It is like someone making merry at the expense of others,” the minister said. He was speaking after inaugurating an office of the BJP Rural unit. Jarkiholi, who was with the Congress has joined BJP.

“During the last Assembly election I was in the Congress and had ensured defeat of BJP candidate Sanjay Patil. I will set this injustice by seeing the BJP candidate emerges victorious in the next election,” he said.

Jarkiholi said that it had come to his notice that money was bring distributed in the election for the impending election to DCC Bank. “I will spend double that money. It is my hard-earned money and not an easy money,” he said.

Reacting to Jarkiholi’s claims, MLA Laxmi Hebbalkar said that she would file a complaint with the Election Commission. She said that pressure cookers were distributed during the inauguration of Harsha Sugars and she had documents for purchase. “Jarkiholi if has purchased the pressure cookers out of his money, should provide accounts and documents,” she said.