Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Nov 24: Congress MLA, Satish Jarkiholi, admitted that the coalition government in the state has not yet taken off.

Speaking to media persons here on Friday November 24, he demanded for immediate expansion of the state ministry. He admitted that there is strong resentment among the MLAs about the delay in ministry expansion. He said that the government will need some time before it can take off.

"Under the current government, grants are not being released properly to individual constituencies. During the period of Siddaramaiah as chief minister, each of the constituencies got grant up to Rs 40 crore, which has come down to ten crore rupees now," he explained.

Satish sprang a surprise by criticizing his own brother and minister, Ramesh Jarkiholi. "D K Shivakumar has done something which minister, Ramesh Jarkiholi, was expected to do. Ramesh should have gone to Belagavi on this occasion. But he has remained in the city," he stated. He also added that Shivakumar and Ramesh Jarkiholi are friends since the last two decades. "The issue of resignation by Ramesh Jarkiholi surfaced briefly before disappearing into the oblivion at the same speed," he analyzed.

The utterances made by Satish Jarkiholi now have given rise to speculations in political circles who are finding it hard to digest vastly different approaches of Satish and Ramesh Jarkiholi, who are close to each other. Political pundits have been trying to make some sense out of the fact that Ramesh Jarkiholi is in constant contact with BJP which is trying to launch Operation Lotus in the state, and the statement by Satish Jarkiholi which totally gives out a different picture altogether.