Bengaluru, August 13: Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra has called for Minister B. Nagendra to resign from the cabinet. He stated that if Nagendra has any respect for the Valmiki community, he should step down.
Speaking to the media, Vijayendra accused Nagendra of being involved in an alleged scam connected to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation. He emphasized that Nagendra should not attempt to evade the allegations by invoking his community’s identity.
Vijayendra remarked, “There is no personal enmity against Nagendra. He should clarify why he was in a position to resign during Siddaramaiah’s tenure as Chief Minister.”
He alleged that Nagendra is implicated in a ₹185 crore scam related to the Valmiki Development Corporation. This issue came to light following the suicide of Superintendent Chandrashekar, which led to an investigation revealing that funds were misappropriated and transferred to Telangana.
Vijayendra noted that a chargesheet has already been filed against Nagendra, and he has yet to be exonerated from the accusations. “If he proves his innocence, we have no objection to him continuing as a minister. However, one should not try to escape serious charges by invoking their caste,” he added.
He also claimed that Chandrashekar’s family has not yet received their gratuity and pension benefits. Despite being a superintendent, the government offered a peon job to his son, which Vijayendra deemed disrespectful to the family.
The BJP will continue to demand Nagendra’s resignation both inside and outside the assembly, he stated.
In response to another question, he accused the Congress government of disrespecting Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and forcing him to resign. He criticized the Congress for not including any women in the recent cabinet expansion.
Vijayendra pointed out that the Congress had opposed a law granting 33% reservation for women in Parliament, indicating the Karnataka government’s disregard for women’s representation by not including them in the cabinet.
He stated, “With the assembly session commencing, it is perhaps the first time in Karnataka’s history that there is no representation of women in the cabinet.”
Referencing social reformers like Basavanna and Akka Mahadevi, the BJP chief expressed disappointment that the Congress government has failed to include women in the council of ministers. He accused Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his administration of injustice and disrespect towards women by excluding them from the cabinet.
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