Hindalga panchayat president says present when Patil met Eshwarappa

Civil works contractor Santosh K Patil, who had accused the rural development and panchayat raj (RDPR) minister Eshwarappa of demanding a 40 per cent commission for the release of funds for the civil works undertaken by him at Hindalga village in Belagavi, was found dead in an Udupi lodge on Tuesday

A day after KS Eshwarappa claimed that he never met Santosh Patil, the Hindalga gram panchayat president on Wednesday said he accompanied the contractor to meet the Karnataka minister, who asked him to start road works in the village before the Lakshmi Jathre (fair).

On Wednesday, Hindalga grama panchayat president Nagesh said that Santosh Patil had approached him before the festival and made a request on the president’s letterhead, which was signed before taking it to Eshwarappa. (ANI)

Civil works contractor Santosh K Patil, who had accused the rural development and panchayat raj (RDPR) minister Eshwarappa of demanding a 40 per cent commission for the release of funds for the civil works undertaken by him at Hindalga village in Belagavi, was found dead in an Udupi lodge on Tuesday. The minister has categorically refuted the charge of abetting the suicide.

On Wednesday, the grama panchayat president Nagesh said that Patil had approached him before the festival and made a request on the president’s letterhead, which was signed before taking it to Eshwarappa.

“I don’t know about a work order, but Eshwarappa told him to start work in front of me,” Nagesh said.

The GP president said that he was with Patil and another seer (not named) when they met Eshwarappa in the Minister’s office in Bengaluru, , according to the FIR which does not specify the date.

The statements added to suspicion in the case in which the minister has so far claimed never to have met or known Patil.

Patil, in a WhatsApp message believed to have been sent by him to his associates and the media, directly blamed Eshwarappa for his death. Several pictures are circulating on social media in which Patil is seen with the minister.

Nagesh said that as soon as Patil came back to Hindalga, he started work and completed all of it, valued at around ₹4 crores.

According to an FIR, in 2020-21, during the Sri Lakshmi Devi Fair at Hindalga, in Belagavi district leaders and seers met Eshwarappa in Bengaluru and requested that roads construction work, sewer workers be taken up at the earliest in the backdrop of the fair. The minister conveyed to the workers to start the work, saying he will take care of all the expenses.

Eshwarappa had also denied that Patil was a BJP party worker.

Mahantesh Kavatagimath, a former BJP member of the legislative council (MLC) and the party whip in the Upper House of the assembly, on Wednesday, said that Patil was a worker of the saffron outfit.

“At least for the last 4-5 years, he worked for the party,” Kavatigamath said.

The former legislator said that he had known Patil for over two decades, and the BJP leader had tried to speak to the latter on at least one occasion after the controversy broke.

While Kavatigamath maintained that there cannot be any work carried out without a work order, the incident has left a cloud of gloom over some of the people who had, at least until now, associated with the party.

Patil, in his conversation with HT on March 28, said: “I believed the minister because he is from our party and it is our government.”

On Wednesday, Patil’s wife said her husband had even pledged gold jewellery to complete the road works and had told her about the 40% commission demanded by Eshwarappa.

“How can he (Eshwarappa) say that he does not know him (Patil). We don’t have too much money to do such work on our own. He (Patil) said that he (Eshwarappa) is from our party and has confidence and did the work,” Jayashree told reporters.

“When Harsha died, they (BJP leaders) violated curfew and carried out a funeral procession. Here also there is a body and a person who has taken his own life and has written Eshwarappa name and died. Before the investigation, they can come here and show support and compassion. He was a worker, but no leader from the BJP, VHP, Hindu Jagrana Vedike, RSS said that people from these communities should not do business here. But the death which has happened here should also get justice,” said one associate of Patil in Udupi.