Ex-Minister Says Sexual Harassment Charges Baseless, Videos Fake

BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who had stepped down as minister on March 3 following allegations of sexual harassment against him, said on Tuesday that the videos purportedly showing him with a woman were fake and vowed to send the ''conspirators'' behind bars.

"I am innocent. This CD (video clips) are 100 per cent fake. There is no doubt about it," Jarkiholi told reporters. The Gokak MLA's claim came two days after social activist Dinesh Kallahalli withdrew the police complaint against him, alleging he had sexually harassed a ''job aspirant'' and threatened her and family with dire consequences. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, reacting to the MLA's claim, told reporters that a case had already been registered against him and the government would proceed as per the law.

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Jarkiholi had resigned his post of Water resources minister on March 3 after protests by opposition parties and several sections of society over purported video clips showing him getting intimate with an unidentified woman was aired by Kannada news channels. The MLA alleged that a major conspiracy was hatched against him four months back in Yashwantpur and Hulimavu areas here and the woman projected as the victim was offered Rs five crore.

A 'big leader' was involved in the conspiracy to finish him off politically, he alleged, but declined to name the person.

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Jarkiholi said he did not take serious note of the high command's warning to him 26 hours before the videos were leaked and later aired by some channels , to remain alert, as he had not indulged in any such activity. Besides thanking Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, he expressed his gratitude to former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his brother and MLA H D Revanna, for standing by him during difficult times.

An emotional Jarkiholi said his family's honour had been damaged due to the charges and vowed to send the conspirators behind bars. "I will not spare them," he said.

Jarkiholi, who was earlier with Congress, was among the chief architects in causing the downfall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government that eventually paved the way for the BJP to come to power. To a question, he said his decision to resign was entirely personal, as he did not wish to damage the image of the government which he had helped install in the state.