Contractor Suicide Case: Karnataka Minister Eshwarappa To Resign on Friday
Karnataka CM has said Eshwarappa is resigning on moral grounds and "there was no pressure from the BJP leadership".
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Karnataka Minister KS Eshwarappa, whose name was enmeshed in the case of alleged suicide of contractor Santhosh Patil, has said that he will be submitting his resignation letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday, 15 April.
Eshwarappa is the rural development and panchayat raj minister in the BJP government of Karnataka.
Eshwarappa said that he was resigning to prevent embarrassment to the government.
"I am confident that I will emerge clean from this issue. I have not done anything wrong. I thank all my party members and seniors," the minister added.
Sources have told The Quint that Eshwarappa will submit his resignation letter on Friday because he is currently (as of Thursday) in Shivamogga, and has to be in Bengaluru to submit it personally to the chief minister.
The announcement by Eshwarappa comes amid pressure from the Opposition, including the Congress party which has sought his removal. On Tuesday, Social and Democratic Party of India workers had also protested as Bommai’s convoy passed by in Mangaluru.
What CM Bommai & Others Said
Meanwhile, CM Bommai has said Eshwarappa has decided to resign on moral grounds.
Confirming that the minister will be submitting his resignation on Friday, Bommai said that "there was no pressure from the BJP leadership to seek his resignation".
CM Bommai also said that he had spoken to to Eshwarappa, who had told him that he was confident he would be proven right soon.
"In the press conference, he mentioned that he wouldn’t want to cause embarrassment to the party and that he would step down tomorrow. He said that truth will come out soon where his innocence will be proven soon," Bommai said, speaking to the press.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah demanded that the government give Rs 1 crore compensation to Santhosh's family.
"Santhosh K Patil's wife is a graduate, she should be given a government job. The Congress will give Rs 11 lakh to the family," he said.
He further said that the investigation should be done under the supervision of the Karnataka High court sitting judge, adding that the party wanted Eshwarappa to be arrested.
Congress in-charge of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Goa Dinesh Gundu Rao also vocalised the party's demand for Eshwarappa's arrest on Twitter.
Congress leader DK Shivakumar also asserted that their demand was for Eshwarappa's arrest.
The Case Against Eshwarappa
A case was registered by the Udupi Police under section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code Section, naming Eshwarappa and two of his aides – Basavaraj and Ramesh – in connection with the alleged suicide. The FIR, on its part, was based on a complaint lodged by the brother of the deceased contractor.
However, the minister said on Wednesday that there is "no question of me resigning as a minister".
"The death note is false propaganda. I have informed CM Bommai and the party president that there is no question of me resigning as a minister," ANI had quoted Eshwarappa as saying.
CM Bommai on Monday, too, had reportedly said that there is "no question" of Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa resigning, and that the police will investigate the case and there will be an impartial probe.
What Had Happened?
Santhosh Patil, who hailed from Hindalaga in Belagavi, had been missing since Monday, 11 April. A day later, his body was found in a lodge in Udupi. As per preliminary investigations, the contractor had died by suicide.
Patil had earlier accused Eshwarappa of asking for a bribe of 40 percent of the total cost of a project, demanding a commission to the tune of Rs 4 crore for the construction of a road in Belagavi's Higaldo village.
Police officials are investigating a text message he purportedly sent to his friends stating that he had decided to end his life and that Eshwarappa was "solely responsible for his death".
Addressing reporters after the news broke, the Karnataka minister denied having links with Patil's suspected suicide.
"I had lodged a defamation case against the person who accused me. He should have fought it in the court, I'm nowhere related to his suicide. I've not met him, there is no question of my resignation," KS Eshwarappa had said.
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