Bengaluru, 18 September (H.S.): A group of Congress-backed Scheduled Tribe leaders has decided to organise a mass rally in support of Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi, alleging that the Enforcement Directorate’s action against him and his family members was politically motivated.

The decision was taken at a meeting attended by nearly 300 community representatives at Gandhi Bhavan on Kumarakrupa Road in Bengaluru on Thursday. The leaders discussed holding a major convention either in Davanagere or Chitradurga, with plans to mobilise several lakh members of the Valmiki community.

Those who attended the meeting included Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Scheduled Tribe unit president Vijay Naik, women’s unit general secretary Shubha Venugopal and legal unit working president Diwakar Narayanaswamy, who is also a member of the State Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission.

Community representatives from Dharwad, Raichur, Gadag and Surpur were also present.

Narayanaswamy said the gathering was a preliminary meeting of like-minded people convened to collect feedback from community leaders. He added that a large convention would certainly be organised.

The meeting came shortly after All India Congress Committee general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the ED of deliberately targeting Jarkiholi.

Surjewala alleged that the minister was being singled out because he was a prominent tribal leader and an influential representative of backward communities. He also claimed that the BJP-led Union government was targeting Jarkiholi for a second time amid his growing influence within the Scheduled Tribe community.

The Congress would stand firmly with Jarkiholi, Surjewala said, alleging that investigations against senior party leaders from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities reflected political vendetta.

Participants at Thursday’s meeting also discussed the political implications of the ED action and expressed concern over what they described as attempts to intimidate prominent tribal leaders.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman