New Delhi: Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa, caught in a huge controversy following allegations of corruption and a role in the suicide of a contractor, said he will step down from his post Friday evening. "Tomorrow I'm handing over the resignation letter to the Chief Minister. I thank you all for co-operation," he told reporters. "I decided to resign because I don't want to put in an uncomfortable situation those who helped me rise to this position, such as seniors in the party, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and our national leaders," he added.
Mr Eshwarappa's declaration came hours after Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai assured his continuing as part of the cabinet. The decision, he told NDTV in an exclusive interview, will depend on the outcome of the preliminary inquiry. Mr Eshwarappa was also not willing to step down, and expressly told reporters that if "they are asking for my resignation, I won't give one".
Sources, however, said the BJP high command had given clear cut directions to the state that Mr Eshwarappa must step down to save the party's anti-corruption image. Contractor Santhosh Patil, who made the corruption allegations against him in his last WhatsApp messages to friends and political leaders, had reportedly marked them to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.
The controversy has given the state's opposition Congress a strong handle against the ruling BJP ahead of the assembly elections that are due by May 2023. The Congress has demanded not only Mr Eshwarappa's resignation, but also his arrest over the corruption case.
The party has also said all such corruption allegations need a thorough investigation.
It is not yet known whether legal action will be taken against Mr Eshwarappa in view of the corruption allegations. He has already been named in the police case filed over the suicide of Santhosh Patil.
The contractor, who died on Tuesday, has accused Mr Eashwarappa, who handles the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj portfolio, has named the minister in his last phone messages, saying he was "solely responsible" for his death.
Mr Eshwarappa, he alleged, had demanded "40 per cent cut money" to clear a Rs 4 crore bill for work he had done for the Rural Development department.
Santosh Patil had reportedly been given an oral instruction by the minister for a Rs 4-crore project in the rural parts of the state. But even after 18 months, he had not received any payment for the job, to complete which, he had to borrow money and even sell his wife's jewellery.
The state's powerful contractor lobbies have admitted that there is an existing culture of commission, which goes well beyond 40 per cent.
Mr Eshwarappa has maintained that no work order was issued, and so, there was "no question of cut money". "(Santhosh) Patil wanted payment without norms - how can payment be released without work order?" he said.
He also maintained that he did not personally know the contractor – a claim which raised questions after his photos with the contractor surfaced on social media.
One of the earliest members of the BJP in Karnataka -- the party's only stronghold in the south -- Mr Eshwarappa can garner the Kuruba votes for the upcoming elections, which has always been the votebank of the Congress. As a member of the Kuruba community, he is also the only leader who can counter the appeal of Congress's Siddaramaiah, who also belongs to the backward classes.