Karnataka: Congress demands minister Eshwarappa's resignation, arrest over contractor's suicide
Karnataka Congress leaders on Thursday protested against the state's Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa, demanding his resignation and arrest over his alleged role in civil contractor Santosh Patil's suicide. Despite being briefly detained earlier in the day, the party leaders protested again at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru. The police had earlier stopped them from advancing to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's residence too.
- The death of contractor Patil on Tuesday sparked a major controversy in Karnataka after minister Eshwarappa's name cropped up in the suspected suicide case.
- The deceased was allegedly compelled to kill himself after Eshwarappa demanded a 40% commission from him for a roadworks contract he executed.
- While an FIR was lodged against Eshwarappa and two of his staffers, no arrests have been made yet.
Senior Congress leaders, including state chief DK Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, led the party's protest rallies. They were seeking Eshwarappa's resignation and his immediate arrest in the case, saying he had demanded commission from the deceased contractor which amounts to serious corruption. "We'll continue to protest here [at Vidhana Soudha] all night," ANI quoted Shivakumar as saying.
Patil's body was reportedly found in Karnataka's Udupi district on Tuesday. Before his death, the contractor had allegedly sent a WhatsApp message to his friends and the media claiming he was taking his own life and blamed Eshwarappa for it He also claimed to be a BJP worker and accused the minister of asking for a 40% commission in a Rs. 4cr-worth roadworks contract.
Meanwhile, Eshwarappa said that he will hand over his resignation to the chief minister on Friday. "Tomorrow I'm handing over the resignation letter to CM. I thank you all for co-operation," ANI quoted him as saying. The police have named him in an FIR on Wednesday for abetting Patil's suicide. Earlier, the minister had refused to step down despite being linked to the case.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bommai had earlier come to the accused minister's rescue saying they will not initiate any action against Eshwarappa until the preliminary investigation is complete. He also assured a thorough probe into the case. On the other hand, Patil's mortal remains reached his Belagavi residence on Thursday, a day after his family declined to accept the body unless the culprits were arrested.
