Medium and Major Irrigation Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has said that he would hold a meeting of his friends to express solidarity with A.H. Vishwanath, MLC, who has been barred by the High Court of Karnataka from becoming a Minister.
“I don’t know in detail what the High Court order says. I will consult legal experts before commenting on it,” he told journalists. However, “I will hold a meeting of my friends, the 17 leaders who quit the Congress and Janata Dal(S) to join the BJP, on this,” he said.
He also said that he was confident that the BJP would make sure all the 17 defectors would be made Ministers. “I am also sure that none of my friends would be dropped from the Cabinet,” he said.
He said that it was wrong to say that he was lobbying only for C.P. Yogeshwar to be made a Minister. “I am in support of all my 17 friends,” he added.
Reacting to a suggestion by MLA Renukacharya that he resign from the Cabinet to make way for his fellow defectors, Mr. Ramesh Jarkiholi said that he would resign if it came to that. “There is nothing great about holding on to a Ministry,” he said.
