In a relief to Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K.S. Eshwarappa in connection with the suicide case of a contractor, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said here that a decision would be made on his resignation only after the preliminary report from the police is obtained.
Bommai said, “The call on asking for resignation from Eshwarappa will be taken once I get the preliminary investigation report.”
The Congress has launched a state-wide agitation demanding sacking and arrest of Minister Eshwarappa.
Speaking to reporters, Bommai said the post-mortem has been conducted on Wednesday. “The case will be investigated thoroughly and the truth will come out. The party high command has taken all information regarding the issue. However, there will be no further role of the high command over the issue. They will not interfere. I will focus on the course of investigation,” he said.
Bommai maintained that he would not answer allegations by the Congress party which are baseless. He challenged the Contractor’s Association, which has made serious allegations that the BJP leaders seek 40 per cent commission in all the government contracts.
“During the tenure of Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, there were charges of corruption and scandals. There was a scandal relating to the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) and Arkavathy denotification scandal. The Congress had to lose elections because of its misrule,” Bommai alleged.
Meanwhile, high drama prevailed in the Badasa village of Belagavi district when the funeral rites of contractor Santhosh K. Patil were being performed on Thursday. Congress MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar and MLC Channaraj Holihatti attended the final rites. The villagers and family members demanded that the BJP leaders should also come to the spot. They delayed the burial of the body, insisting on the arrival of BJP leaders. However, later the body was buried.