'BJP Top Brass Has No Role': K'taka CM on Action After Abetment Case Against Min

A BJP member and contractor, who had accused the Karnataka minister of taking bribes, was found dead in Udupi.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai

(Photo: Twitter/ Basavaraj Bommai)

Amid controversy over Karnataka Minister KS Eshwarappa's alleged involvement in the death of a BJP contractor, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday, 14 April, said that the party's top brass had not said anything about taking action against the minister, and had no role in the matter.

"There is no interference by the high command in this matter. They have just been informed but do not have any role in this," he said.

The chief minister also said that action will be taken only after the results of the preliminary investigation. "As I told earlier, based on the preliminary investigation we will see what action can be taken. Postmortem was performed last night (late night). Investigation will begin now. Our decision will be based on the findings of the investigation," he told reporters.

The chief minister's statement came hours before Eshwarappa said that he will be submitting his resignation letter to the former on Friday, 15 April.

Eshwarappa and Bommai had both said on Wednesday that the former would not tender his resignation, even as the Congress staged protests to demand the accused minister's sacking.

"Siddaramaiah and the Congress are making baseless allegations. They have no basis for their allegations. If they have any proof, let them bring it out. We'll see then," Bommai said on Thursday, adding, "In their tenure many murders took place, the organisation that was involved in the killings had withdrawn the case and there was anarchy in the state and that is why people rejected them. They do not have any moral rights. This is being done for political gains. This case of Santhosh’s suicide will be completely probed and the truth will come out."

This comes after BJP member and contractor Santhosh Patil, who had accused the Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) minister of taking bribes, was found dead in Udupi on Tuesday, 12 April.

Meanwhile, actor and Karnataka BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi has extended his support to Eshwarappa, and has demanded a CBI inquiry into the death of the contractor.

Jarkiholi, whose name had surfaced in a sex-for-jobs scandal earlier this year, further said that the same people who had conspired against him had now plotted against Eshwarappa.

What Is the Case?

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.

A case was registered by the Udupi Police under Indian Penal Code Section 306 (abetment to suicide) on Wednesday, naming Eshwarappa and two of his aides – Basavaraj and Ramesh. The FIR is based on a complaint lodged by the brother of the deceased contractor.