‘Death of contractor Santhosh Patil proves what we said about 40% kickback demand in Karnataka’

Karnataka State Contractors’ Association wants Santosh Patil’s family to be immediately given ₹4 crore for the 108 projects he claimed to have completed without a work order allegedly based on oral assurance of RDPR Minister K.S. Eshwarappa

A file photo of Kempanna (centre), president of Karnataka State Contractors’ Association, addressing a media conference in Kalaburagi on January 3, 2022. | Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI

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 April 12 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. 

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“After Patil’s letter to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) was reported in the media in March last week, we wrote to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai seeking a meeting to set right the alarming situation, but to no avail. Our letter to the PMO alleging 40% kickbacks was in July, 2021, to which there has been no response till date. Patil’s letter to the PMO has also got no response and he is dead today,” Mr. Kempanna said. 

Mr. Kempanna said a few days ago, Mr. Patil contacted him over phone. “He expressed concerns over a defamation case Mr. Eshwarappa had filed against him after his letter was reported by the media. He seemed scared. I assured him that the association would provide legal assistance to fight the case. But we were shocked to hear of his death,” he said. 

The association that plans to hold an unprecedented massive protest of over 50,000 contractors in the city, demanding cut down of kickbacks in contracts, is scheduled to meet on Wednesday. “The contractor’s death has made the issue on hand both serious and urgent. We will take a call on our next course of action,” he said.