Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday announced that Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, who is embroiled in the contractor suicide case, will resign by the evening. However, Congress expressed doubt and said that its protests would continue.
Bommai said that Eshwarappa has spoken to him and they have discussed the resignation.
"He is tendering resignation on his own decision. He is confident of coming out clean from the allegations over the suicide case of the contractor. The truth will come out in the investigation," he added.
The police will conduct investigations into all dimensions, and they should be left to carry out their work. He noted that Congress minister K.J. George, who faced similar charges earlier, was not arrested by state police or by the CBI, even when the BJP-led NDA government was in power. "Let the police decide on how they want to carry out the investigation," he said.
Bommai also said that there is no necessity for Congress leaders to become investigation officers, judges, and prosecutors in the case. There will be an open inquiry and the truth will come out, he said.
Answering a question on whether this episode is a setback for ruling BJP in Karnataka, he said that the investigation will reveal who will have setback. "Eshwarappa is confident of coming out clean... this is not a question of setback or advantage," he added.
Meanwhile, Congress state chief D.K. Shivakumar stated on Friday that even now, it is doubtful that Eshwarappa would tender his resignation.
"He is the chairman of the factory of lies. CM Bommai has declared that Eshwarappa has not done any wrong already. How can a police officer conduct an inquiry against Eshwarappa?" he questioned.
He also demanded that corruption charges must be added to the FIR against Eshwarappa.
Santhosh K Patil, 40, a contractor and BJP leader from Belagavi who made graft allegations against Eshwarappa, committed suicide by consuming poison in a lodge on Tuesday. He had alleged that the Minister had been harassing him for commissions to clear his bills for projects he had implemented for the government. Eshwarappa is claiming that he does not know Patil and the work has been done without work order.
