Karnataka Minister KS Eshwarappa Announces Resignation Amid Uproar Over Contractor's Death

Two days after being named as an accused in a case registered over the "unnatural death" of a civil contractor, Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister and senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa announced his resignation from the State Cabinet on Friday, April 15.

"Today, I have decided that I will resign as Minister on Friday," Eshwarappa said during a short media briefing in his hometown Shivamogga on Thursday.

The Minister said he was quitting "as he did not want to cause embarrassment to the BJP" and would submit his resignation to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Bengaluru, The Indian Express reported.

Eshwarappa is the second BJP minister in the two-and-a-half-year-old BJP government to resign. Last year, water resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi had to resign over an alleged sex CD scandal.

What Happened On April 12?

The 40-year-old contractor, Santhosh Patil was found dead on April 12 in a lodge in the Udupi region. He is suspected of having consumed poison and the police investigation is underway. Prior to his death, he had purportedly sent out messages to media and friends in Belagavi, where he hailed from, before allegedly taking his life, holding Eshwarappa responsible.

Patil had also accused the Minister and his associates of not releasing payments for road work worth Rs 4 crore, which he had carried out at Hindalga village in Belagavi, and "asking for a commission of 40 per cent".

Reacting to Eshwarappa's announcement, Bommai said they spoke in the evening and took the decision after "a lot of consideration".

"He said he has full confidence that he is not involved and has the moral courage, but if he continues it gives many people a chance to talk and create embarrassment. He stated this should not happen and an investigation must be conducted at the earliest and the truth should come out, which will result in the dropping of cases against him," Bommai said.

How Crucial Eshwarappa Was For BJP?

A veteran leader of the BJP in Karnataka and a hard-core RSS man, Eshwarappa is known to have enjoyed the backing of the BJP central leadership over the years. The BJP often used the OBC Kuruba community leader to counter Lingayat strongman B S Yediyurappa's hegemony over the party.

Bommai said, "there was no pressure from the party high command" on the matter. "We informed them of the circumstances of the incident. Eshwarappa has decided to resign of his own volition," he said.

On the possibility of the case being given to a major investigative agency, Bommai said, "Let us first obtain the preliminary investigation report."

On Tuesday night, Eshwarappa was named as an accused in a case of abetment of suicide filed by the Udupi Town police based on a complaint by Prashant Patil, the contractor's brother.

Eshwarappa had initially appeared defiant on quitting, although Bommai had indicated that a resignation would be sought after the FIR. The Minister had earlier claimed that he did not know Patil, and filed a defamation case against him on March 14.

"There is no question of resignation at all… I want to tell the Karnataka people that we have to conduct an exemplary investigation and find out who is behind this conspiracy. This is my demand," Eshwarappa had said on April 13.

"There are no valid documents to show that a contract was awarded for the Rural Development department to say that a payment can be made," he had said.

Congress Demands His Arrest

On Wednesday, the Opposition Congress approached Governor Thawarchand Gehlot and sought Eshwarappa's dismissal from the Cabinet and his arrest. JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy had also called for the Minister's resignation.

Eshwarappa's announcement came even as Congress decided to hold a night-long protest to seek his ouster after laying siege to Bommai's residence in the morning.

According to The Times of India, a local Congress politician attempted to halt Patil's last rites, demanding he be buried only after the state released compensation and cleared pending bills. But Patil's family decided to go ahead with the burial.

Describing the resignation as "a victory for the state's people", Congress state president D K Shivakumar said, "Our demand is also that a case should be registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Our second demand is that he should be arrested and a judicial inquiry should be conducted."

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