Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 20: Although the legislators seem to have stopped directly lobbying for ministerial berths for their leaders, they continue to exert pressure on the party leaders through their supporters and party workers from their constituency.

In one such show of strength here, supporters of MLA, Satish Jarkholi, held protest at Freedom Park here on Tuesday June 19, seeking to make him a minister. Supporters of Jarkiholi and party workers from his Yamakanamaradi constituency assembled at the said venue and demanded their leader to resign from the party if he is not considered for the post of minister soon.

In the protest held under the banner of Human Relations Forum, rationalist, A K Subbaiah, said that Jarkiholi has been boldly fighting against superstitions and that he is sure to rise to the stature of celebrated rationalist, Periyar. He accused the governor of running his office like a branch of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He said that the governor had planned to hand over power to BJP but the Supreme Court shot down this plan. "If BJP had risen to power, it would have dismantled special investigation team and subverted investigation into Gauri Lankesh murder and also cover up Hussainabba murder case," he felt.

Brahmananda Guruji of Valmiki Mahasamsthan warned that if Jarkiholi makes up his mind to show his clout, the government will collapse. He predicted that if Jarkiholi resigns from Congress nearly 20 legislators will follow him.

Senior journalist, Dinesh Ameen Mattu, felt that people who work in favour of social equality are systematically being drubbed. He gave the examples of Basavanna, Ambedkar and Siddaramaiah, all of whom had become victims of vested interests in some stages of their lives.

Various leaders like Mavalli Shankar, Prof Maheshchandra Guru and Laxminarayana Nagawara were present.