The political crisis arising out of a civil contractor’s suicide after naming Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa deepened on Wednesday with the Udupi police registering an FIR on the minister and two assistants.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Contractors’ Association, which held an emergency meeting in Bengaluru, gave two-weeks’ time to the government to address their grievances, failing which they will stay away from projects for a month.

Association president Kempanna said corruption was rampant in the departments of public works, water resources and health & family welfare, besides the chief minister’s office. The commission menace in Karnataka has lowered the quality of projects, he said.

The Udupi police named Eshwarappa and his assistants Basavaraj and Ramesh in connection with the suicide of Santhosh Patil, a BJP worker cum civil contractor from Belagavi district.

The police registered a case based on a complaint from the family member Prashanth Patil. The family has refused to accept the body till Eshwarappa and his two assistants are arrested.

The BJP leadership in Delhi has gathered a report from its state unit and is expected to take a call soon. BJP general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh told the media in Belagavi that the party will take a decision on Eshwarappa’s resignation soon.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who has announced an impartial probe, has left the subject of keeping or sacking Eshwarappa to the party high command. The deceased Patil had been complaining that the Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR) minister was not approving his bills as he had not paid a hefty bribe as demanded by him.

A Congress delegation led by state unit president DK Shivakumar, former CM Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders met governor Thawar Chand Gehlot and demanded dismissal of Eshwarappa from the Cabinet and action as per the law.

Patil ended his life at a lodge in Udupi after texting a death note to friends in which he allegedly blamed the minister for his death, and sought help from PM, CM, and senior leader BS Yediyurappa to protect his wife and child.

Patil shot into the spotlight after he wrote to prime minister Narendra Modi complaining about the RDPR minister and his associates were harassing him for a commission to clear his unpaid bills, which had been pending for about a year. Patil had said, last month, that he had borrowed funds to do the road project in his village in Belagavi, worth about Rs 4 crore in 2019, and he had been under pressure for loan repayment. He had also reportedly said he would have to end his life if the government did not release the money.

The Contractors’ Association has demanded a probe by a sitting high court judge or the CBI, and sought a relief of Rs 2 crore to the family of the victim, holding the government responsible for his death.

The Association has all records on payment of commission to those in power, and if the government does not address their issues, it will release all documents in two weeks, Kempanna said.

Contractors have to pay an upfront commission of 5% on each tender, he said, and added that they wanted to release the documents at today’s media-conference, but have postponed in view of threats to their life.

The Congress, which has become aggressive after a series of victories in recent elections, has held protest demonstrations seeking Eshwarappa’s ouster from the Cabinet. The party announced it will not stop until the minister was fired.