Congress MLC Laxman Savadi will not go back to the BJP, Minister and KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi said in Belagavi on Monday.
Responding to a query on the former Deputy Chief Minister who joined the Congress after quitting the BJP last year, Mr. Jarkiholi said that there is no question of Mr. Savadi leaving the Congress and going back to the BJP.
“BJP leaders are spreading such rumours as they have nothing better to do. Mr. Savadi will not leave. There are very good opportunities for loyal leaders in the Congress. But they have to be patient. Mr. Savadi is a senior leader. He has worked hard for his constituency. He will get a good position. All leaders will get good positions, if they wait,” he said.
Responding to reports of his daughter Priyanka Jarkiholi and Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar’s son Mrunal Hebbalkar competing for the Lok Sabha election ticket from Belagavi, he said that it is for the party high command to select and announce candidates. “We have already sent a long list of aspirants to the party high command. They will decide it now,” he said.
On a query about senior leader Prakash Hukkeri not interested in fighting the Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Jarkiholi said that the former MP is speaking in code language.
“When Mr. Hukkeri says he is interested in fighting polls, he is not interested in reality. But when he says he is not interested, it turns out that he is interested. That is the code,” he said.
He said that the Union government has been discriminating against Karnataka by withholding its share of GST, calamity relief compensation amounts and other grants. “We will hold a protest against the Union government in New Delhi on Wednesday,” he said.
