Nagendra quits to blunt Oppn's Ballari march

Bengaluru: Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra on Friday announced that he was “voluntarily” stepping down from the D K Shivakumar Cabinet amid mounting pressure from the Opposition over his alleged involvement in the multi-crore Valmiki Corporation scam. “I am resigning on my own will to ensure that the Congress government and the party’s image under Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister D K Shivakumar remains unblemished,” said Nagendra, as he broke down at a press meet here. The announcement came just 25 days after the Bellary Rural MLA was inducted as a minister. This is the second time Nagendra is quitting the Cabinet over the fund-diversion in the government-run corporation. In 2024, he had to resign as the tribal welfare minister in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet when the alleged scam surfaced.Following his quitting, the ED had arrested him. Nagendra is currently out on bail. Friday’s development came ahead of the Opposition BJP-JD(S) combine’s proposed ‘Ballari Padayatra’ demanding Nagendra’s ouster. The resignation is seen as the ruling party’s effort to blunt the BJP’s march in the Congress bastion. Also, the government was in a tough spot after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot sought the advice of the Council of Ministers on the CBI’s request for prosecuting Nagendra.Nagendra, who flew to Bengaluru on Friday afternoon after deliberations with the central leadership in Delhi, met the chief minister before announcing his decision to resign.Flanked by party colleagues — ministers Ajay Singh and Rizwan Arshad and Rajya Sabha members G C Chandrashekhar and Nasir Hussain — at the press meet, Nagendra thanked the party leadership and said the CM had told him he was “not at fault”.Attacking the BJP, the four-time MLA said he was being targeted for being a Dalit. “It is a conspiracy by modern-day Manuvadis who target Dalits, adivasis, women and backward classes and block their political rise. In the Ramayana, Shambuka was killed. But I will not be silenced. This is the era of Dr Ambedkar’s Constitution,” he said.Nagendra resigned to avoid embarrassment to Congress: Karnataka CM ShivakumarNagendra accused the BJP of disrupting the recent legislative session instead of debating on crucial issues.”The BJP always captured through the backdoor by wooing rival MLAs as people would never give them a majority,” he said, hitting out at Ballari BJP leaders G Janardhana Reddy and B Sriramulu.Daring the BJP to face him in the “people’s court” and offering to quit his Assembly seat too, he said: “They tried to paint me as a villain. Ramulu anna, you say I stole Rs 187 crore and sent it to Rahul Gandhi. Accept my challenge. You are rejected into pieces, like coins no longer in circulation.”Denying any role in the irregularities, he said: “100% of the diverted funds has been recovered. The ED and CBI are selective in action and ignore BJP and JD(S) leaders like H D Kumaraswamy facing prosecution.”He further alleged that the BJP wanted to mislead “innocent people” of north Karnataka by “repeating a lie”, adding that in 2024 also, he had resigned to save the party from embarrassment.”SIT and CID gave me a clean chit. But the Centre’s puppet ED arrested me and sent me to jail for three months. I have not taken a single penny from the corporation and that the scam happened at Union Bank of India,” he said. “The bank comes under Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Has she resigned?”Quote: “SIT and CID gave me a clean chit. But the Centre’s puppet ED arrested me and sent me to jail for three months. I have not taken a single penny from the corporation and that the scam happened at Union Bank of India.” – B Nagendra

Source: Deccan Herald