K’taka Minister Eshwarappa rejects kickback allegations, calls it baseless

PTI, Mar 29, 2022, 8:29 PM IST

Karnataka Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K S Eshwarappa on Tuesday termed the allegations of kickback levelled against him by a Belagavi-based contractor as baseless and unfounded, citing clarification issued by the department in this regard.

The Minister also said that he has filed a defamation case against Santosh K Patil over his attempt to defame him, as he also hit out at the Congress party for targeting him and demanded his resignation in the wake of the allegations.

”I have on March 10 filed a defamation case against Santosh K Patil over his attempt to defame me…..a notice is being issued,” Eshwarappa said.

Noting that the desperation of the Congress party to make wild allegations over fabricated and motivated charges clearly exposed, he said, ”It is to my utter dismay Congress party in its zeal to accuse BJP govt in Karnataka, is resting on motivated charges by a person who himself has confessed to have indulged in questionable activities.”

Patil, who is said to be associated with Hindu Vahini, a right-wing group, had written a complaint to Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh earlier this month stating that he is yet to be paid Rs 4 crore for road works in the Hindalga village, and had accused Eshwarappa’s aides of demanding commission for the payment.

He is also said to have sent his complaint to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders.

The complaint was forwarded to RDPR Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), by the Union Ministry.

Stating that the RDPR department has not received any request for sanction of works, nor has the government sanctioned any works referred to by the complainant, ACS L K Atheeq in his clarification to the Union Ministry said, ”Neither sanction order, nor administrative approval has been given for any such works.”

”The road works which were said to be undertaken by the applicant…have not been implemented through the department. No government agency has given any technical sanction nor has any supervision been made. Hence, the question of releasing any funds to the said works does not arise,” he said in a letter to the Union Ministry, which was released to the media by the Minister’s office.