Congress leader B Nagendra broke down on Friday evening as he announced his resignation from DK Shivakumar's Karnataka Cabinet amid relentless fire from the BJP over corruption allegations that had forced him to quit two years earlier too. He'd made a comeback in the first week of August when Shivakumar replaced Siddaramaiah as chief minister in the Congress government.
The main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued to underline alleged irregularities of Rs 89 crore in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. The issue came to light after the corporation's accounts officer Chandrasekharan P died by suicide in May 2024, leaving behind a note alleging unauthorised transfer of funds. Investigations then found large sums were transferred from the corporation's bank accounts to various other accounts.
Nagendra, a prominent ST leader who was the Tribal Welfare Minister in Siddaramaiah's cabinet before the party decided to make Shivakumar the CM, had resigned in June 2024 amid the controversy. He was re-inducted on August 3 after Shivakumar took over, and got the Planning and Statistics portfolio.
At a press meet where he announced he's quitting, Nagendra said, "I believe in the Constitution... We asked the BJP many times to come and discuss the allegations against me in the Assembly, but they didn't." He alleged that the BJP wants to "impose the Manusmriti" and has an "anti-tribal mindset".
The Karnataka BJP has, meanwhile, announced a 10-day foot march from Raichur to Ballari from September 1 to 10 to highlight the alleged failures of the Congress government in the state. The re-induction of Nagendra was expected to be a major issue in that 200-km padayatra, apart from allegations of farmer distress, unemployment and alleged corruption in recruitment, he added. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi is scheduled to inaugurate it, state BJP chief BY Vijayendra had said.
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