Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Apr 26: Former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi had expressed his intention to resign from the Congress and membership of the assembly along with some other MLAs who had pledged allegiance to him, immediately after the polling process for the Lok Sabha concluded in the state. However, his efforts to hold a meeting with these legislators on Thursday April 25 as announced by him on Wednesday proved to be a damp squib as none of the legislators close to him made an appearance.

Curiously, MLAs, Mahesh Kumthalli, Nagendra, Pratap Gowda Patil and others who are identified with Ramesh, maintained distance from him on Thursday. This strange development has given rise to speculations.

Ramesh Jarkiholi, by issuing a statement in Mumbai sometime back that he had the backing of 20 legislators, had made the top leadership of the coalition government in the state jittery. He also had predicted another round of Operation Lotus through mass resignations of himself and legislators considered close to him immediately following the conclusion of the Lok Sabha election. Although Kagawad MLA, Shreemant Patil, also had arrived in the city, he did not accompany Ramesh. Instead, he stated that he does not have anything to do with the mass resignation plan.

Deputy chief minister of Karnataka, Dr G Parameshwara, said that there is no threat or tension in the coalition government. He blamed BJP for just generating rumours. He predicted that even after May 23, nothing will happen to the government.

Water resources minister, D K Shivakumar, noted that none of the legislators have said that the government would collapse. He dismissed talk of Ramesh Jarkiholi leaving the party, duly pointing out that he had earlier demanded to make Sathish Jarkiholi the chief minister.

Kagawad MLA, Shreemant Patil, said that he had met the minister D K Shivakumar to discuss water woes in his district. He asserted that he is not connected with the reported mass resignation plan.