The Karnataka State Contractors’ Association, which has been making allegations of kickbacks demanded for State Government-awarded contracts going as high as 40%, said that the death of Santosh K. Patil on Tuesday only proved how dire the situation was.
“Recently, the State Government brushed aside the allegations we made saying there has been no shred of evidence. But here is a BJP worker who has killed himself blaming a Minister of exactly the charges we made,” said D. Kempanna, president of the association.
The association has demanded that Patil’s family be immediately given outstanding bills of ₹4 crore for the 108 works he claimed to have completed, without a work order allegedly based on oral assurance of RDPR Minister K.S. Eshwarappa. They want the Government pay ₹50 lakh compensation to the family immediately. “The Chief Minister has to immediately remove Mr. Eshwarappa from the Cabinet and a criminal case should be booked against him,” he said.
