Karnataka minister K.S. Eshwarappa, accused in a civil contactor’s suicide note of demanding kickbacks, resigned on Friday.

Eshwarappa met chief minister Basavaraj Bommai at his residence in Bangalore around 8pm and quit as rural development and panchayati raj minister.

The relatives of Santosh Patil, BJP worker and civil contractor, said earlier in the day that they Eshwarappa arrested and that his mere resignation was never their demand.

Eshwarappa organised a show of strength in his native Shimoga district on Friday and declared before his supporters and BJP workers that he was innocent, would emerge unscathed from the controversy and would become minister again. He had announced on Thursday that he would resign, in the face of widespread protests from the Opposition Congress.

Santosh’s brother, Prashanth Patil, told reporters in Belgaum that the family wanted Eshwarappa to be arrested. “We haven’t asked for his resignation. We want all the accused to be arrested,” he said, citing the FIR in which he has named Eshwarappa and two of his aides for allegedly demanding 40 per cent cut from the contractor to clear road project dues.

“It is up to the government to decide whether he should resign or not. But we want all of them to be arrested since the police have started investigating the case,” Prashanth added.

Santosh, an active BJP worker and office-bearer of the Sangh parivar outfit Hindu Vahini, was found dead in a hotel room in Udupi on Tuesday after he had sent a WhatsApp message blaming Eshwarappa for his death and seeking punishment for the minister. The Udupi police have since booked Eshwarappa and two of his aides, Basavaraj and Ramesh, for abetment of suicide.

On Friday, Eshwarappa turned his impending resignation into a show of strength. Hundreds of his admirers lined the streets in Shimoga in solidarity with their leader who left for Bangalore in a cavalcade of tens of cars to submit his resignation to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.

“An allegation is being made against me, should I come clear out of it or not. For me to prove my innocence, if I continue as minister when the investigation is on, there will be a feeling that I may influence the probe. So I’m resigning as minister.… I’m telling you that I will come out innocent and will certainly become minister once again,” Eshwarappa said.

The Congress continued its protest outside Vidhana Soudha — the seat of power in Karnataka — for the second day seeking Eshwarappa’s arrest.

“Our fight won’t stop with his resignation. As we have already demanded, we want Eshwarappa to be arrested immediately and booked also under Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act since this is a serious case of graft, too, involving a senior minister,” state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar said.

Leader of the Opposition P.C. Siddaramaiah also demanded Eshwarappa’s arrest. “The accused are arrested in all heinous crimes. But Eshwarappa is yet to be arrested although everyone should be equal before the law,” he said.

While chief minister Bommai had on Thursday claimed that Eshwarappa’s decision to resign was not the result of any pressure from the party, BJP sources said the central leadership was not happy about a senior minister being accused of corruption. The reason, according to one source, is that the party did not want to be seen defending Eshwarappa even after he was named in the FIR.

The chief minister on Friday urged the Opposition not to be judgemental about Eshwarappa and his resignation. “The Opposition need not be the investigating officer and judge. The truth will come out after the investigation,” Bommai told reporters.

Bommai disagreed with the perception that the resignation of Eshwarappa was a setback for his government. “His resignation cannot be considered a setback for the government,” he said.

AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala termed Eshwarappa’s resignation as “too little, too late” and demanded his immediate arrest.