Chandru Lamani framed in bribery case as he is an educated Dalit, says Ramesh Jarkiholi

“Shirahatti MLA Chandru Lamani, who has been arrested by the Lokayukta police in a bribery case, has been framed because he is an educated Dalit. The system is against educated Dalits,” BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi said in Belagavi on Monday.

“Vested interests have conspired to use a youth from Scheduled Tribes community to trap Dr. Lamani. I am speaking against such injustice as I am an AHINDA leader. If it is proved that the MLA accepted bribes, let him be punished,” the former Minister told reporters.

“However, such discrimination is not new. MLAs from Dalits and tribal communities have been oppressed for decades. This has been happening under successive party governments. But we have to raise our voice against this. I am not here to talk about the Lokayukta institution or the charge of corruption against the MLA. But politically speaking, there are attempts to suppress a society with 74% voters. All of us who call ourselves AHINDA leaders have to fight against this,” he said.

“What is sad is that such incidents are happening even when the so-called pro-Dalit government is in power. The former MLA Y. Sampangi was also framed in the same way some years ago,” he said.

Ramesh Jarkiholi said that a government officer who was supposed to retire in the evening was framed by law enforcement agencies recently. “I want to know why is it that leaders and officers from AHINDA communities are being trapped? I want to question this system,” he said.

“I am also a victim of such a conspiracy. But I will not speak about it as the case is in court,” he said.

“There is a lot of confusion about leadership in the BJP. If it is not resolved soon, it will damage the party,” he said.

To a query, he said that he will meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on behalf of the Dalit MLAs.

“We will appeal to him to conduct a proper investigation in the issue of Dr. Lamani. Even today, I consider Mr. Siddaramaiah as my leader. He continues to be an AHINDA leader. However, as an administrator, he is no longer the Chief Minister he was in his first term. Politically he is a mass leader and not just a Kuruba leader,” he said.