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K’taka contractor death: No question of resigning, I’m not at fault, says minister
Santosh Patil, a contractor who accused Karnataka rural development and panchayat raj minister KS Eshwarappa of demanding commission for a contract, died by suicide earlier on Tuesday.
Karnataka rural development and panchayat raj minister KS Eshwarappa said on Tuesday there is no question of him stepping down from his post despite the opposition Congress demanding his resignation. This comes after Santosh Patil, a contractor who accused Eshwarappa of demanding commission for a contract, died by suicide earlier in the day.
"There is no question of resigning. We have to wait for the verdict of the court in the case I had filed against Santosh Patil. I make it very clear that I am not at fault anywhere," Eshwarappa was quoted by news agency PTI.
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Patil claimed to be a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker. His body was found in a lodge in the state's coastal town of Udupi. Police have launched an investigation into the case.
Last month, Patil had written union rural development minister Giriraj Singh, accusing Eshwarappa of demanding a commission of 40 per cent for roadworks worth ₹4 crore.
Patil alleged he had executed this work in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department and wanted the payment but Eshwarappa demanded commission.
According to PTI, Patil reportedly sent a message to media houses saying he was taking his own life and blamed Eshwarappa for his death.
Reacting to the contractor's suicide, Eshwarappa said he had no information about this.
“I have no information. I had filed a case (defamation suit) against him for levelling the charges and the case was admitted. I am learning about the suicide from the media,” the Karnataka rural development minister said.
Eshwarappa reiterated that he did not know Santosh Patil.
According to him, based on Santosh's allegation, the union rural development ministry had written to the RDPR in Karnataka and accordingly, an answer was given. “It is very clear that I am not wrong. After I filed the defamation suit, a notice has been sent to him,” Eshwarappa added, PTI further reported.
Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra, meanwhile, said that the suicide case would be investigated, adding the superintendent of police visited the spot.
State revenue minister R Ashoka, on the other hand, said that there is no need to blame KS Eshwarappa for Santosh Patil's death till the investigation concludes.
And chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday that police will conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into Patil's death. “There will not be any interference or direction from our side. Police will independently investigate the case and truth will come out," Bommai told reporters in Mangaluru.
(With PTI inputs)
