Eshwarappa to skip Karnataka BJP executive meet
Shivamogga, Apr 16: Senior Karnataka BJP leader K S Eshwarappa, who has resigned as Minister following allegations of abetting the suicide of a civil contractor, on Saturday said he will not be attending the party's two-day state executive meeting in Hospet, citing personal reasons.
The ruling BJP state executive meeting is being held at Hospet in Vijayanagara district today and tomorrow, which is scheduled to be attended by BJP national President J P Nadda on Sunday.
On his next responsibility or course of action, post resignation as the Minister, he said he will abide by the party's decision as done in the past.
"There are several programmes relating to my grandson's marriage that are on at our house, so I will not be going (for the state executive meeting). I have conveyed it to BJP state President Nalin Kumar Kateel and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai," Eshwarappa said.
Speaking to reporters here, Eshwarappa however said he would be attending a party event in Ballari on April 19, as part of state wide tour by BJP leaders in teams, aimed at preparations for the 2023 assembly polls.
Earlier in the day, seers of various mutts visited Eshwarappa at his residence here.
Following a political furore that erupted following the contractor's death, Eshwarappa submitted his resignation as the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister to CM Basavaraj Bommai on Friday night.
Reiterating that it is a conspiracy against him, Eshwarappa said initially he had felt that Santosh Patil might have committed suicide fearing the defamation notice served to him through the court for making allegations of corruption, but later on receiving more information, he suspected whether it was suicide or murder.
"I have requested the Chief Minister to see to it that the investigation is completed soon and the report is out with facts about individuals and parties behind the conspiracy, and the guilty must be punished," he said, adding that he has sympathy for the deceased contractor and a feeling whether he was misused by the conspirators.
The leader further said amid charges, he felt it was his duty to resign as Minister and ensure that no embarrassment is caused to people of his constituency, leaders and workers of Sangh Parivar and the BJP, Ministers, legislators and the government.
"I had been discussing it with the state and national leaders of the party. After taking consent of all senior leaders I resigned yesterday," he added.
Eshwarappa in response to a question said he would not take any names and speculate about any Congress leaders involvement in the conspiracy against him, until the probe report is out.
Santosh Patil, a Belagavi-based contractor, was found dead at a hotel in Udupi on Tuesday, weeks after accusing Eshwarappa, who is also a senior BJP leader, of corruption.
In a purported suicide note in the form of a WhatsApp message, Patil had blamed Eshwarappa for his death.
Patil last month complained to Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh and also BJP central leaders stating that he was yet to be paid Rs four crore for road works undertaken in Hindalga village and had accused Eshwarappa's aides of demanding 40 percent commission for the release of the payment.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
