The feud between DK Shivakumar and Ramesh Jarkiholi, former Karnataka minister and BJP candidate from Gokak, is widely known among Karnataka politicians after his sex-for-the-job CD was revealed, forcing him to resign. Ramesh said on Wednesday that Congress state president DK Shivakumar tried to blackmail him around midnight.
Jarkiholi told reporters on Wednesday, May 10, that Shivakumar had urged him not to persuade votes in Belagavi Rural in favour of BJP candidate Nagesh Manolkar, or he would produce a CD featuring Jarkiholi. Ramesh Jarkiholi resigned from Congress to the BJP in 2019, destabilizing the HD Kumaraswamy cabinet.
"DK Shivakumar called me at midnight and blackmailed me. I dared him to release a CD of mine after he threatened to do so. He requested that I withdraw my support for the BJP candidate in Belagavi Rural. "I refused to comply because the BJP high command has an immense amount of faith in me," Ramesh Jarkiholi told reporters in Gokak. Jarkiholi had previously claimed that DK Shivakumar had created a forgery of a CD depicting him.
"I will be the next Chief Minister or Home Minister so that people can live in peace." "I want the CBI to look into this CD saga," Jarkiholi continued. The BJP has nominated Nagesh Manolkar from Belagavi Rural, whereas the Congress has nominated Laxmi Hebbalkar, the incumbent MLA.
Jarkiholi cited Shivakumar as one of the primary reasons for his defection to the BJP in 2019. Ramesh is claimed to have led the efforts of 15 MLAs to defect from the Congress and join the BJP, therefore driving Yediyurappa to power. The Jarkiholi family is politically important in the Belagavi area, with four brothers - Ramesh, Balachandra, and Bhimashi - supporting the BJP and Satish and Lakhan supporting the Congress.
An activist approached Bengaluru police in March 2021, requesting an investigation into the then-Minister of Major and Medium Irrigation Ramesh Jarkiholi for allegedly assaulting a lady and asking for sexual favours from her in exchange for a government position.
Clips of alleged personal moments between the woman and the Minister, as well as some phone conversations, went popular on social media.
Jarkiholi further said, "Mr Shivakumar was once a friend of mine. He was quite nice to me back then. I'm not sure what went wrong,", adding that "he should free himself from the clutches of Visha Kanya." Mr Jarkiholi did not specify to whom he was referencing.
