Bengaluru, August 25: The Karnataka Assembly’s monsoon session was abruptly suspended by Speaker G.S. Patil indefinitely on Monday. This decision came after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced a continuous protest demanding the resignation of Planning and Statistics Minister B. Nagendra, who is allegedly involved in a tribal welfare corporation scam.
The monsoon session began on August 13 and was scheduled to continue until August 27. From the start, the BJP has been persistently obstructing proceedings, calling for Nagendra’s resignation.
Following the suspension of the session, the BJP declared it would seek intervention from Governor Thawarchand Gehlot and take the issue to the public.
BJP state president and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra stated, “We have realized that we cannot expect justice. We will approach the public. We demand the Governor’s intervention and urge him to reprimand the Congress government for protecting a corrupt minister.”
Vijayendra accused the Congress government of deliberately ending the session to avoid facing the opposition. He claimed that the Congress, unable to confront the opposition, has fled through the back door. He asserted that the Congress government is corrupt and is shielding those who have embezzled public funds.
He further alleged that Nagendra is being protected because his removal could expose widespread corruption. Vijayendra mentioned that Nagendra had misappropriated funds allocated for Dalits. The Chief Minister fears that if Nagendra is removed, the corruption will come to light, which is why he is being shielded.
Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok also criticized the government and Speaker G.S. Patil for prematurely suspending the session. Ashok remarked that, for the first time in the last 25-30 years of Karnataka’s history, the Congress government has ended a session out of fear of the opposition. He added that they had announced overnight protests in both houses and would also approach the Governor.
He accused the government of ending the session suddenly because it was unable to confront the opposition. Ashok stated that if the Congress had courage and capability, it should have allowed the session to continue as planned. “We trusted the Speaker, as he is a senior politician, and believed he would conduct the house properly. However, he failed to do so,” he said.
Ashok reiterated the BJP’s claim that ₹184 crore meant for Dalit communities had been embezzled. He emphasized that the looted funds should reach Dalit families, asserting that there is no politics involved. He accused the Congress of politicizing the issue, stating that regardless of Nagendra’s background, millions of Dalits in the state have suffered injustice.
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