New Delhi: In a exclusive interview with NDTV, Karnataka Chief Minister Basvaraj Bommai said, “it 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. “The post-mortem is done. Let the preliminary inquiry begin. Depending on the preliminary we will decide the next course of action.”
When asked about there any pressure from the high command regarding his dismissal, he said, “I 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 taken”.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress’s DK Shivakumar led a delegation of party members to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot’s office on Wednesday, urging him to fire the minister and “arrest him.”
On Thursday, responding to Bommai’s criticism: DK Shivakumar told ANI: “The 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.”
The Karnataka State Contractors’ Association (KSCA) stated on Wednesday that if chief minister Basavaraj Bommai does not meet with them and settle the corruption issue, they will expose “four to five ministers and around 25 MLAs.”
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 Patil’s death.
According to Eshwarappa, the contractor gave “letters to Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union rural development and Panchayati Raj minister Giriraj Singh, alleging I have done work worth ₹4 crore and Eshwarappa’s 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.”
“I 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.”
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
