Editor's Pick: Corruption-tainted BJP Minister quits in Karnataka

After days of political uncertainty and drama, veteran BJP leader and Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj K.S. Eshwarappa submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as the controversy over his role in the suicide of a contractor and allegations of corruption snowballed. As Mr. Eshwarappa met the Chief Minister at his official residence, crowds of supporters gathered outside and shouted slogans against his resignation. With this resignation, the State Cabinet has five vacancies against a full strength of 34 ministers. Mr. Eshwarappa is the second Minister to resign since 2019 when the BJP government was formed. In March 2021, Golak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi quit the Ministry headed by B.S. Yediyurappa over his alleged involvement in a sexual harassment case. Mr. Eshwarappa has been charged with abetment to suicide of Santosh Patil, a contractor and BJP worker who had accused him of corruption, before allegedly taking his life. Patil had alleged that he and other contractors had taken up some work for a temple fair in Belagavi district after the Minister had asked some gram panchayat members to proceed with the project and that the Minister’s aides had demanded a commission of 40% when approached for payment of bills. Prior to leaving his constituency Shivamogga for the capital Bengaluru, Mr. Eshwarappa told BJP party workers and supporters that he would emerge unscathed in the probe on corruption charges and become a minister again. On the way, he visited a prominent Lingayat Mutt, Sri Siddaganga Mutt, in Tumakuru. On his decision to resign, Mr. Eshwarappa said, “BJP central leaders must feel that I have set a new benchmark in the party to ensure that leaders with any taint will not continue in power.” He urged the Chief Minister to order a thorough probe into the matter. Mr. Eshwarappa is said to have stepped down under pressure from the BJP central leadership to avert any embarrassment to the party on the eve of party president J.P. Nadda’s visit to Karnataka for a two-day State BJP executive meeting. Chief Minister Bommai, however, contented that Mr. Eshwarappa resigned on his own. “Eshwarappa is confident of coming out clean from the allegations,” he said. The deceased contractor’s allegations are in line with the claims of the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association that to award State government contracts, an “unprecedented 40% kickbacks” were being extracted. An editorial in The Hindu said the developments have brought the focus back on corruption and poor governance, a blight on the State that hosts India’s Silicon Valley and is a key engine n India’s economic growth. With Assembly elections due next year, and Sangh Parivar affiliates already raking up communal issues, the corruption allegations have further affected public order and this makes the resignation of the Minister a top story of the day. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more. Click here The Hindu’s Editorials Overdue: On Eshwarappa’s resignation Take two: On dual degree programme The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Arunachal Pradesh shares a decades-old boundary dispute with which Indian State? Assam Meghalaya Nagaland West Bengal To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here [logo] Editor's Pick 16 APRIL 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Corruption-tainted BJP Minister quits in Karnataka After days of political uncertainty and drama, veteran BJP leader and Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj K.S. Eshwarappa [submitted his resignation to Chief Minister]( Basavaraj Bommai as the controversy over his role in the suicide of a contractor and allegations of corruption snowballed. As Mr. Eshwarappa met the Chief Minister at his official residence, crowds of supporters gathered outside and shouted slogans against his resignation. With this resignation, the State Cabinet has five vacancies against a full strength of 34 ministers. Mr. Eshwarappa is the second Minister to resign since 2019 when the BJP government was formed. In March 2021, Golak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi quit the Ministry headed by B.S. Yediyurappa over his alleged involvement in a sexual harassment case. Mr. Eshwarappa has been charged with abetment to suicide of Santosh Patil, a contractor and BJP worker who had accused him of corruption, before allegedly taking his life. Patil had alleged that he and other contractors had taken up some work for a temple fair in Belagavi district after the Minister had asked some gram panchayat members to proceed with the project and that the Minister’s aides had demanded a commission of 40% when approached for payment of bills. Prior to leaving his constituency Shivamogga for the capital Bengaluru, Mr. Eshwarappa told BJP party workers and supporters that he would emerge unscathed in the probe on corruption charges and become a minister again. On the way, he visited a prominent Lingayat Mutt, Sri Siddaganga Mutt, in Tumakuru. On his decision to resign, Mr. Eshwarappa said, “BJP central leaders must feel that I have set a new benchmark in the party to ensure that leaders with any taint will not continue in power.” He urged the Chief Minister to order a thorough probe into the matter. Mr. Eshwarappa is said to have stepped down under pressure from the BJP central leadership to avert any embarrassment to the party on the eve of party president J.P. Nadda’s visit to Karnataka for a two-day State BJP executive meeting. Chief Minister Bommai, however, contented that Mr. Eshwarappa resigned on his own. “Eshwarappa is confident of coming out clean from the allegations,” he said. The deceased contractor’s allegations are in line with the claims of the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association that to award State government contracts, an “unprecedented 40% kickbacks” were being extracted. An [editorial in The Hindu]( said the developments have brought the focus back on corruption and poor governance, a blight on the State that hosts India’s Silicon Valley and is a key engine n India’s economic growth. With Assembly elections due next year, and Sangh Parivar affiliates already raking up communal issues, the corruption allegations have further affected public order and this makes the resignation of the Minister a top story of the day.   Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more.  [Click here]( The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Overdue: On Eshwarappa’s resignation]( [Arrow][Take two: On dual degree programme]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Arunachal Pradesh shares a decades-old boundary dispute with which Indian State? - Assam - Meghalaya - Nagaland - West Bengal To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here]( Today’s Best Reads [[Bidens paid 24.6% taxes on $6,10,702 earnings, returns show] Bidens paid 24.6% taxes on $6,10,702 earnings, returns show]( [[India gets S-400 training equipment] India gets S-400 training equipment]( [[Bought for $2.9 mln, NFT of Jack Dorsey tweet finds few takers] Bought for $2.9 mln, NFT of Jack Dorsey tweet finds few takers]( [[More than 900 civilian bodies found in Kyiv region, says Ukraine police] More than 900 civilian bodies found in Kyiv region, says Ukraine police]( Copyright @ 2022, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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