Karnataka: State Water Resources Minister resigns after CD case

Karnataka State Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has resigned from his post after a controversial video surfaced on Tuesday. After the video surfaced, serious allegations of sexual abuse are being made on Jarkiholi.

In his resignation to Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, Jarkioli has denied the allegations against himself.

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He wrote, "The allegations being leveled against me are fake and baseless. I demand an inquiry into these allegations as soon as possible until the allegations against me are proved to be false, I accept this position as my moral responsibility. I resign. I agree that I am innocent."

The Chief Minister's office has accepted his resignation.

Ramesh Jarkioli has been a six-time MLA from Gokak seat in Belagavi district. Earlier, he came into the discussion when Congress and Janata Dal-S government fell in the state and BJP formed government. He was instrumental in the fall of the Congress-JDS government. At that time, among the 17 MLAs, including Jarkiholi, left the ruling party and joined the BJP.

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On Tuesday, social activist Dinesh Kallahalli released a CD in which ministers are allegedly demanding a secular favor from a woman who wants to build a documentary on the dams in North Karnataka.

Dinesh later lodged a police complaint in this regard and demanded the necessary security for the woman. In this regard, the police has made it clear that after taking complaint from any third party in such cases, according to the guidelines, they will record the statement of the woman.

After the audio and video clips of this video were shown in local television channels, the opposition demanded the resignation of Jarkiholi.

These allegations are at such a time when two days are left for the commencement of the budget session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

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This is not the first time such a serious allegation has been made against a minister in Yeddyurappa's cabinet. Earlier some ministers of his cabinet were accused of watching graphic videos on the phone in the assembly, a minister was accused of rape.

In his first term as chief minister, three ministers of the Yeddyurappa cabinet had to resign on the charge of watching pgraphic videos on the phone during the session in the assembly. Earlier, a minister was accused of rape. However, in the elections held in the year 2018, all these ministers once again won the election.

A 74-year-old minister had to resign from the post after a similar controversial video surfaced in Siddaramaiah's cabinet.

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