From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Apr 12: The death by suicide of a government contractor Santhosh Patil in a lodge in Udupi must be treated a murder and a case must be registered against Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa under Section 302 as a murder and must be immediately arrested, demanded Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Chief D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Speaking to media representatives in the KPCC office, Shivakumar pointed out that the contractor had specifically named minister Eshwarappa as the reason for the suicide and urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to immediately sack the minister from his cabinet.
The KPCC Chief said the State Contractors Association had levelled a serious allegation of demanding 40% commission as kickbacks against Eshwarappa and had taken the extreme step of directly writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi government.
“This serious allegation of a cabinet minister demanding 40% commission as kickbacks in government contracts was made by Contractors Association and the Contractors and not by the opposition parties,’’ Shivakumar said and mentioned that the Contractor Santhosh Patil was a BJP workers.
The State Congress President said: ``The Chief Minister should not shield anybody or protect anybody. Mere statements saying the government will investigate the suicide and find out the truth will not be enough. Instead of wasting time in such platitudes, the government should immediately direct the police to register an FIR against the Minister and arrest him.’’
Shivakumar said the government had filed ‘B’ Reports in the past when serious allegations were made against the ministers to protect and such things should not be reported.
The Congress leader pointed out that there have been several instances when resignations of the ministers were obtained. As a serious allegation has been made against the minister in the suicide note written by contractor Santhosh Patil, the Chief Minister should get his resignation and get him to be arrested.
Later, district-wise meetings of Congress party leaders was held at the KPCC office in the presence of AICC General Secretary and State in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, Shivakumar, Congress Opposition leaders in the Assembly and Council Siddaramaiah and B K Hariprasad, KPCC Campaign committee chairman M B Patil and Working Presidents B Ramalinga Reddy, Saleem Ahmed and other leaders.
Meanwhile, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Siddaramaiah have demanded demanded Eshwarappa's dismissal from the cabinet in tweets.