Sex Tape Row: Karnataka minister Ramesh Jarkiholi allegedly praises Maharashtrians and abuses Kannadigas

BENGALURU: The sex tape controversy surrounding Ramesh Jarkiholi, who resigned as Karnataka Water Resources Minister, has posed a huge political dilemma for Chief Minister Yediyurappa.

A CD purportedly showed him seeking sexual favours from a woman, reports say the BJP leader criticised state Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa during the conversation in the tape, and praised Congress leader Siddaramaiah.

Water Resources minister, can be heard allegedly saying that while Congress leader Siddaramaiah was “good”, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa “has done too much corruption”.

Here is the alleged conversation between Ramesh Jarkiholi and the woman in the sex tape:

Woman: In Belgaum, Marathis and Kannadigas fight a lot right?

Jarkiholi: Marathis are good people. B****s Kannadigas don’t have any work to do.

Jarkiholi: Siddaramaiah is good. Yediyurappa has done too much corruption.

Woman: You’re going to Delhi always. You’ll be CM?

Jarkiholi: Pralhad Joshi will be CM.

A police complaint has been filed against the minister, with the complainant, social activist Dinesh Kalahalli, claiming that Jarkiholi sought sexual favours from the woman in the CD in exchange for a government job.

The video, a sex tape, apparently showing the Karnataka minister getting intimate with an unidentified woman, was widely aired by Kannada news channels as a sex-for-jobs scandal.

Ramesh Jarkiholi, an MLA from Gokak, was earlier with the Congress. He was among the chief architects in the downfall of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in 2019. He organised defections that helped the BJP come to power in Karnataka, and was rewarded with a ministry by Chief Minister Yediyurappa.