Jarkiholi quits AICC, says will remain a Congman

Belagavi: Accusing top Congress leaders of giving him a raw deal during allocation of berths in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government, former minister Satish Jarkiholi resigned from the post of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary on Tuesday. 

After holding a final round of meetings with his close associates in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Jarkiholi shot off his letter of resignation to AICC president Rahul Gandhi. “There is no point in someone holding a top AICC post when he has no power absolutely to take any decision. As AICC Secretary, I wanted to use my powers and help some of the deserving party MLAs to get into the cabinet. But to my shock, the AICC bosses kept me out of the cabinet,” he stated. Jarkiholi said he had decided to quit the AICC post the moment he was ignored when the JDS-Congress alliance was set to form the cabinet. Although, he says he will remain a Congress leader, he did not wish to be part of the state cabinet. “I will not accept any offer to join the cabinet. Instead, let the leaders induct some of the seniors from the group of disgruntled leaders,” he added. 

A five-time legislator from Belagavi, Jarkiholi is also upset with some KPCC leaders and other top party leaders in the state, who, he alleged were responsible in keeping him out of the cabinet. He said his name figured in the list of cabinet ministers which was initially finalised by the AICC but was dropped merely hours before the ministers were sworn in.

Jarkiholi had decided to suspend his election campaign in Yamakanamardi constituency from where he contested prior to the elections as the party wanted him to camp in Badami, where former CM Siddaramaiah was involved in a tough clash with BJP's B. Sriramulu. He stayed in Badami and ensured that most voters from the ST community voted for the Congress. However, his absence from Yamakanmardi almost cost him his seat as he was able to win only by a slender margin of 2,000 votes.

According to sources close to him, Jarkiholi has decided to wait and watch the coalition government’s functioning for some more months before taking his next step.