Now, Jarkiholi threatens to quit for Kumathalli

Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi on Saturday threatened to resign if his aide Mahesh Kumathalli is subjected to “injustice”.

Kumathalli was the only one among the 11 newly-elected MLAs to have not been included in Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s Cabinet. These 11, who were disqualified, won the December 2019 bypolls, giving the BJP government the majority in the Assembly.

“Mahesh Kumathalli is the reason for the BJP to come to power. He shouldn’t be cheated. If he feels so, and if he tells me, I will immediately resign,” Jarkiholi said. “He should’ve been made a minister. In the coming days, he is likely to be given a good position,” he added.

Responding to this, Kumathalli said that he was confident the BJP will not give him a raw deal.

“Jarkiholi and I are good friends. The CM has assured me that until I’m made a minister, I will be given some other position. I was made the MSIL chairperson. Since I’m an engineer, I’ve asked to be made the head of the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited,” he said.

In all this, disgruntled BJP MLAs who feel the “natives” have been neglected, are said to be planning to hold talks with the party’s central leadership on February 26. One of them, eight-time MLA Umesh Katti, has already visited Delhi. A few Panchamasali Lingayat MLAs have formed a group, seeking Cabinet berths. The MLAs want an audience with BJP national president JP Nadda to air their grievances.