Why KS Eshwarappa, A Fierce Fighter, Was Forced To Quit Karnataka Cabinet

KS Eshwarappa, a Karnataka BJP leader, has shot to national prominence, but not in a good way. "Mr 40% Cut Money" is among the labels assigned to him after a contractor, who allegedly died by suicide, accused him of demanding kickbacks.

After his resignation today as Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, the veteran politician will hope this is a pause and not a full-stop in his long political career.

Mr Eshwarappa, 73, has never been taken lightly in his home state. The highest post he held was that of deputy Chief Minister in the short-lived term of Jagadish Shettar as Chief Minister from 2012 to 2013. He has also been state BJP chief and Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council.

Mr Eshwarappa was not from a political family but his involvement in student politics with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) was his launching point. He debuted in the Karnataka legislative assembly in 1989 from Shivamogga, the base of another better-known BJP leader from the state - former chief minister BS Yediyurappa.

There is no love lost between the two BJP leaders from Shivamogga. Their disputes have often been public - with Mr Yediyurappa usually coming out on top.

As recently as last year, when Mr Yediyurappa was still heading the Karnataka BJP government, Mr Eshwarappa wrote to the Governor alleging that the Chief Minister was interfering in the way he ran his ministry. This naturally caused considerable embarrassment to the ruling party and handed ammo to the opposition Congress.

Mr Eshwarappa has always been a BJP man - unlike Mr Yediyurappa, who took a short detour to set up his own Karnataka Janata Party. But Mr Yediyurappa is definitely the man with the stronger grip on public perception, as a state BJP leader.  

The contractor who died, Santosh Patil, is believed to have sent WhatsApp messages to friends and the media, in which he made allegations against Mr Eshwarappa and asked - among others - BS Yediyurappa to help his family.

Mr Yediyurappa is a Lingayat, a dominant caste in the state, and one believed to sway political outcomes to a large extent.

Mr Eshwarappa is a Kuruba, a backward caste. Congress's Siddaramaiah, also a former Chief Minister, belongs to the same caste. Mr Eshwarappa is considered the most prominent backward caste leader for the BJP in the state - and the party wants all the support it can get ahead of state elections.

Publicly at least, the two leaders do seem to have patched up, with Mr Yediyurappa saying Mr Eshwarappa would be cleared in the current controversy and would return as minister. The former Chief Minister said he would "pray" for Mr Eshwarappa.

Mr Eshwarappa is prone to plain speaking and has often made controversial statements. During the recent hijab controversy in the state, he said the saffron flag would one day be raised at the Red Fort.

An FIR was filed against him for provocative comments following the recent murder of a Bajrang Dal worker in Shivamogga. The funeral procession for the worker, led by Mr Eshwarappa, is also said to have violated prohibitory orders.

Mr Eshwarappa is considered far more hard-line than Yediyurappa. The former Chief Minister recently said Muslims should be allowed to live with dignity - and that Hindus and Muslims should live like children of the same mother. Sentiments the likes of which Mr Eshwarappa has not been heard expressing.

BJP spokesperson S Prakash said the ever-smiling Mr Eshwarappa is popular with the karyakartas (workers) and has great clarity when it comes to ideology.

It is no easy situation for the BJP in Karnataka, given Mr Eshwarappa's prominence and seniority as a backward caste leader. The party would not want to antagonise him.

He is also not the kind of person to go down quietly. But with elections in the state just a year away, the opposition Congress has been keeping up pressure over the contractor's death - taunting the BJP on alleged corruption and demanding Eshwarappa's arrest.

Though Mr Eshwarappa stayed defiant till the end, there was finally no question that he had to go. At least for now.

Mr Eshwarappa says he is resigning only to avoid embarrassing his party and those leaders who had helped him.

Is it the end of the road for the veteran? Mr Eshwarappa is, and has always been, a fighter and cannot be counted out just yet.