Karnataka suicide: Congress demands probe by SC judge; 'PM, CM complicit', says Rahul; Siddaramaiah shares 'proof'

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Published : Apr 12, 2022, 8:06 PM IST

Karnataka suicide: Congress demands probe by SC judge; 'PM, CM complicit', says Rahul; Siddaramaiah shares 'proof'

Vallabh said that four Congress leaders from the state had recently flagged the issue of alleged corruption in government contracts but nothing happened. Rahul Gandhi alleged that both PM and CM were complicit in the case.

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday demanded a sitting Supreme Court judge should probe the matter after a BJP worker and contractor Santosh Patil blamed Karnataka minister K S Eshwarappa in his suicide note. Santosh had recently written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that Minister Eshwarappa and his associates were harassing him to give 40 per cent commission to clear bills for the civil work that he carried out on the Minister’s instructions.

“We demand a sitting Supreme Court judge should probe the matter including alleged corruption in the Karnataka government,” Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said during a special AICC briefing. “We want minister Eshwarappa to be removed and arrested based on Patil’s suicide note, which should be treated as his dying declaration,” he said.

Vallabh said that four Congress leaders from the state had recently flagged the issue of alleged corruption in government contracts but nothing happened. Rahul Gandhi alleged that both PM and CM were complicit in the case. “BJP’s 40 per cent commission government in Karnataka has claimed the life of their own Karyakarta. The victim’s pleas to the PM went unanswered. The PM and CM are complicit,” Rahul tweeted.

Karnataka suicide case: Congress demands probe by SC judge; 'PM, CM complicit', says Rahul
Karnataka suicide case: Congress demands probe by SC judge; 'PM, CM complicit', says Rahul

"Karnataka Minister Eshwarappa must be arrested immediately; nothing short of this will be enough to even begin a fair investigation into the 40% commission corruption scandal that has taken the people of Karnataka & the people across the nation by shock," the Congress tweeted on its official handle.

Vallabh said it was sad to hear the news of suicide due to alleged corruption from a state which had been known internationally as an IT hub. “Small contractors get work from the rural development ministry under Eshwarappa but he was demanding 40 per cent commission which was too much for Patil,” said Vallabh, adding “the state contractors association too had raised the issue of commission.”

Leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Siddaramaiah too slammed the Modi government over the incident and even shared vital pictures showing how Santosh, a BJP worker, had been trying to raise the issue with the BJP high command. In one of the many tweets on the matter, the senior Congress leader shared the letter the deceased contractor had written to Prime Minister. "Narendra Modi should be ashamed to coin the slogan 'Na Khaunga, Na Khane Dunga'. He should limit himself to writing scripts for Bollywood films, instead of running the govt. I am not sure if he is capable to do even that. #MurderbyCJP," Siddaramaiah tweeted.

He also shared a video in which the deceased contractor is narrating his ordeal. "How many more lives will this '40% BJP Sarkar' take before being punished by the people of Karnataka? A disaster in the making of Karnataka. Only throwing BJP out will unlock the potential of Karnataka," he tweeted. The former Karnataka Chief Minister even shared pictures of Santosh rubbing shoulders with top BJP leaders including Eshwarappa (who interestingly has said he does not know him). In one of the pictures shared by Siddaramaiah, Santosh is seen standing close to Home Minister Amit Shah.

"Deceased Santosh Patil was also a @BJP4Karnataka member & supposedly close aide of @ikseshwarappa. He was also a whistleblower who exposed '40% commision' business of @BJP4Karnataka. If this is how the life of BJP member is ended, imagine the end of common man," Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Also read: 'Eshwarappa is the reason for my death': Belagavi contractor's suicide note; 'Don't know him', says minister

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