Have shame, ask Jarkiholi to resign now: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka's Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday asked the BJP to get scandal-hit Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi to resign immediately “if the party has any shame and respect”.

This is the first authoritative comment from the opposition Congress on the sex scandal that broke out Tuesday.

A video purportedly showing Jarkiholi getting intimate with a woman went viral and a police complaint has been filed against the minister alleging that he sexually exploited the woman on the pretext of getting her a government job.

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“If the BJP has any shame and respect, and if they have human values, they should take (Jarkiholi’s) resignation immediately,” Siddaramaiah said. “The entire country knows of this sex scandal now.”

The Congress leader also asked the BS Yediyurappa administration to ask Jarkiholi to step down. “The government should not only accept his resignation, but also file an FIR,” he said.

Ramesh was seen as Siddaramaiah’s loyalist when he was with the Congress.

AICC spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa told reporters that the sex scandal undermined the idea of ‘Government’s Work is God’s Work’ that is carved on Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the legislature. “These are cardinal sins,” he said. “We’re confident that he will resign by evening. Otherwise, his continuation in office is untenable.”

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Kalappa cited portions of the video clips allegedly involving Jarkiholi. “In one of the video clips, Jarkiholi is heard saying Yediyurappa is corrupt. Imagine a Cabinet minister speaking ill about his own chief minister,” Kalappa charged. “In the same conversation, he also says (Union Minister) Pralhad Joshi will be the next CM. So, it clearly looks like there’s a conspiracy being hatched against Yediyurappa.”

Kalappa charged that Jarkiholi had promised the woman a job at KPTCL. “When that promise wasn’t kept, the videos came out.”