Is it the end of the road for minister Ramachandra Gowda?

Medical education minister Ramachandra Gowda on Sunday resigned over the raging controversy on the alleged irregularities in recruitment of non-teaching staff in Hassan and Mysore medical colleges.

Gowda was forced to submit his resignation by chief minister BS Yeddyurappa just a day ahead of the by-polls in Gulbarga South and Kadur assembly constituencies.

Already embarrassed after the high court pulled up Gowda, rejecting his affidavit stating that there were no irregularities in the recruitment process, Yeddyurappa asked Gowda to quit on Saturday before leaving on a China visit.

Instructions from the chief minister came while Gowda was on his way to Tirupati on Saturday afternoon. He returned to Bangalore to send in his two-line resignation at 12.35am on Sunday.

Gowda’s personal secretary handed over the resignation to Yeddyurappa’s
daughter as the chief minister had already left for China. “As per your wish, I am resigning. Thank you for your cooperation all these days,” Gowda said in his two-line resignation letter written in Kannada and addressed to the chief minister.

Later Gowda said, “As per the directions of the chief minister I have resigned”. On Sunday afternoon Gowda called on governor HR Bhardwaj and apprised him of his resignation.

Yeddyurappa, who left for China to attend the World Economic Forum meeting in Shanghai before Gowda could return to city, refused to comment on the reasons for asking Gowda to quit. “I do not want to comment on the issue as it is before the court. I will do so only on my return on September 15,” he said before leaving for China late Saturday night.