‘Whole thing is a political conspiracy; I won’t quit’: KSE demands high level probe into contractor’s death

News Network

April 13, 2022

Bengaluru, Apr 13: Amidst Congress leaders' demand for his resignation, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa made it clear that he would not tender his resignation under any circumstances.

Speaking to reporters in Shivamogga, Eshwarappa said that the whole thing is "nothing but a political conspiracy," and demanded high level probe into the suicide of Belagavi contractor Santosh Patil.

Eshwarappa said he has not seen Santosh Patil's face even once. He said that Patil's suicide note was sent on WhatsApp on April 12th, which is not hand written and it has no signature, and so, it can't be authentic. He added that the suicide issue has not reached Central leaders yet and that he was not asked to resign at all.

Eshwarappa said following the complaint by Santosh Patil to the BJP central leaders alleging that he had demanded 40 per cent commission to clear the bill for carrying out road works in Belagavi, he had filed defamation case against him and a news channel. The court had issued notice to them. "I suspect Patil might have taken the extreme step out of fear," Eshwarappa said.

Eshwarappa, who is also MLA from Shivamogga Urban constituency, said, Patil had been to Delhi and submitted copes of complaint to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department Giriraj Singh alleging that his department demanded 40 per cent commission to clear his bill. The Union ministry had sought clarification on this. "Our officials had clearly stated that they can't clear the bill as the road work was carried out flouting the norms," he said.

He said as per the norms, work has to be approved from the concerned department and work order had to be issued. "But in this case, no norms had been followed. So how can we clear the bill?," he questioned.

Referring to the suicide note, BJP leader said it is written that Patil had severe financial crisis. "If it is true, how did he go to Delhi and who bore his travel expenses?," he questioned and said he would meet Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai shortly.

When questioned whether Patil was a BJP worker, Eshwarappa said he spoke to Belagavi Rural BJP Unit president and he made it clear that Patil had no link with the party, but he was a member of some Hindu organisation.

Slamming the Congress, he said they are trying to use this suicide case to oust him from the cabinet fearing that he may become chief minister soon. But he would not step down at all.

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Hamas calls on international community to stop Zionist regime’s holocaust

News Network

September 10,2024

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has strongly denounced an Israeli attack on displaced people sheltering in tents in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in the south of Gaza Strip as “a brutal act of genocide.”

“The occupying regime’s appalling massacre against displaced people in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis is a brutal act of genocide... This vicious targeting of unarmed civilians — women, children, and the elderly — in an area previously declared safe by the occupation army is proof of the ongoing Nazi policies that the Zionist entity is pursuing in its genocidal war against Palestinians,” the Gaza-based group said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

It added that such mass killings are being deliberately carried out in complete disregard of the international law, humanitarian law, and UN resolutions calling for an end to the aggression, noting the massacres are being perpetrated with the full support of the US administration, which is complicit in Israeli brutalities against Palestinians.

It also dismissed Israeli army’s allegations concerning the presence of resistance fighters in the targeted area as "downright lies meant to justify such ugly crimes."

"The resistance front has repeatedly confirmed the absence of ... its members among civilian communities or the use of residential areas for military purposes,” the statement pointed out.

Hamas also called upon the international community, the United Nations, and all political, humanitarian and judicial institutions to break their silence, assume their responsibility and work to stop the 11-month-long holocaust.

The resistance movement stated that world bodies need to take necessary steps in order to bring Israeli war criminals before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and hold them to account for their horrendous crimes.

According to Palestinian media outlets, at least 40 people were killed and 60 others injured in the Israeli attack on people sheltering in tents in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis.

The strikes involved heavy missiles and left craters up to 9 meters (30 feet) deep in an area where people were living in at least 20 tents.

Ambulance and Civil Defense teams are facing considerable difficulty retrieving the bodies of the victims.

Initial assessments suggest the attack is “one of the most heinous massacres in the ongoing frenzied war”.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes in the area, with fires burning and Israeli reconnaissance planes flying overhead.

Israel launched its atrocious onslaught against the Gaza Strip, targeting hospitals, residences, and houses of worship, since Palestinian resistance movements launched a surprise attack, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm, against the usurping regime on October 7 last year.

At least 41,020 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children. Another 94,925 individuals have sustained injuries as well.

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