New Delhi: In a exclusive interview with NDTV, Karnataka Chief Minister Basvaraj Bommai said, โit is clear that minister KS Eshwarappa, caught in a controversy over his alleged role in the suicide of a contractor, will remain in his cabinet, for now. โThe post-mortem is done. Let the preliminary inquiry begin. Depending on the preliminary we will decide the next course of action.โ
When asked about there any pressure from the high command regarding his dismissal, he said, โI am not under any pressure. There is nothing to do with the high command. It is all purely depending on preliminary investigation decision will be takenโ.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congressโs DK Shivakumar led a delegation of party members to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlotโs office on Wednesday, urging him to fire the minister and โarrest him.โ
On Thursday, responding to Bommaiโs criticism: DK Shivakumar told ANI: โThe chief minister wants to save his corrupt minister. I think he is also part of this whole process. If he wants to save face of BJP and his government, then immediately arrest (KS Eshwarappa) and book a case of corruption.โ
The Karnataka State Contractorsโ Association (KSCA) stated on Wednesday that if chief minister Basavaraj Bommai does not meet with them and settle the corruption issue, they will expose โfour to five ministers and around 25 MLAs.โ
The KSCA has urged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a retired Supreme Court or high court judge conduct an impartial investigation into Patilโs death.
According to Eshwarappa, the contractor gave โletters to Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union rural development and Panchayati Raj minister Giriraj Singh, alleging I have done work worth โน4 crore and Eshwarappaโs aides are asking for a bribe. They have written to the state department in Karnataka. But we have written that there is no work order.โ
โI suspect he might have committed suicide out of fear because he was given notice [over the allegations[. The matter is in court now and our department has specified it in writing. These are baseless charges against me.โ
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