Karnataka BJP seeks resignation of Congress minister Priyank Kharge over contractor’s suicide
In a seven-page note, the deceased allegedly claimed he was threatened and extorted by a close associate of the Chittapur MLA.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Karnataka unit has called for the resignation and arrest of the state’s Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge after a suicide note allegedly written by a contractor alleged threats and extortion by a close aide of the Congress leader, The Hindu reported.
The 26-year-old contractor, Sachin Panchal, took his own life on December 26 in Kalaburagi district.
“It is clear that his [Kharge’s] aides are behind the suicide,” said R Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, according to The Indian Express. “He should resign immediately.”
In a seven-page suicide note, Panchal claimed that he had paid a bribe of Rs 15 lakh to former Kalaburagi City Corporation member Raju Kapnoor – a close associate of Kharge – and several other Congress leaders in hopes of being awarded a tender, reported The News Minute.
Panchal’s note also claimed that he was pressured and issued death threats to pay an additional Rs 1 crore.
The police have also registered a case against Kapnoor and five others for allegedly conspiring to kill BJP MLA Basavaraj Mattimadu and other leaders of the Hindutva party, in response to allegations made in Panchal’s note, the Hindustan Times reported.
The BJP has announced the launch of a state-wide agitation to protest the contractor’s death, The Hindu reported.
Kharge, on the other hand, pointed out that he had not been...
