A SLEAZY CD, allegedly featuring Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi and an unidentified woman, has caused a political storm in the state.
A series of video clips and WhatsApp video call recordings went viral on March 2, and protests demanding the minister’s ouster erupted across the state. The Gokak MLA, however, pleaded innocence, saying it was a “political conspiracy”and that the videos were fake. The following day, though, he resigned citing moral grounds, reportedly following directions from the BJP’s central leadership. This was much to the relief of Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who had reportedly held a closed-door meeting with BJP MLA Balachandra Jarkiholi, asking him to convince his elder brother to step down.
The scandal comes at a bad time for the ruling BJP. The party is preparing for assembly elections in four states and one Union territory (three in south India) and a Lok Sabha byelection to the Belagavi seat, which fell vacant after the death of Union Minister Suresh Angadi. It is also battling a leadership crisis, corruption charges against Yediyurappa’s kin and ire against snail-paced development.
The chief minister himself has reason to feel flummoxed as Jarkiholi was responsible for installing the current BJP government. He was one of the 17 rebels from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), whose mass resignation in July 2019 toppled the JD(S)-Congress coalition government. Jarkiholi, who was re-elected on a BJP ticket, was inducted into the Yediyurappa cabinet “as promised”.
Esta historia es de la edición March 14, 2021 de THE WEEK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición March 14, 2021 de THE WEEK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
