Ramesh Jarkiholi, former Minister and BJP MLA, is in New Delhi to meet Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, to request him to transfer the sex CD case against him to the CBI.
People close to the Jarkiholi family say that he has carried some audio clips that he believes will “prove” that it was a honey trap and will implicate Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar for “orchestrating” it. Mr. Jarkiholi has sought an appointment with Mr. Shah. It is likely that he will get to meet the Home Minister in a day or two, said a BJP leader from Gokak who has travelled along with Mr. Jarkiholi. The former Minister, however, said that he would comment only after returning to Belagavi.
He had announced on Sunday that he would urge the Union government to transfer the case to CBI. He alleged that the KPCC president was behind the honey trap and that he had created such sleaze CDs of several leaders and officers in the State. Mr. Shivakumar, however, has denied the allegations and said that Mr. Jarkiholi seems to have “lost his mental balance.”
Channaraj Hattiholi, MLC and younger brother of Congress MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar, had denied Mr. Jarkiholi’s allegations that she had “conspired” to defame him, along with Mr. Shivakumar.
Brother appeals for calm
Meanwhile, younger sibling and BJP MLA, Balachandra Jarkiholi, has appealed for calm. He said he saw no merit in the public spat. “All the three senior leaders, Mr. Ramesh, Mr. Shivakumar, and Ms. Hebbalkar, are engaged in verbal fights. That will achieve nothing. They are all popular leaders respected by the people. They have spent decades in public life. They have their dedicated followers. Such allegations and counter allegations in public will do more damage than good,” he said.
