NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Sunday dismissed the BJP’s demand for minister B. Nagendra’s resignation over the alleged misuse of funds from the Valmiki Development Corporation, saying there was no evidence against the minister.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders in Delhi, Shivakumar said the government would not succumb to pressure from the Opposition.
“There is no evidence against Nagendra. Are there no cases against Union ministers?” Shivakumar said, accusing the BJP of targeting the minister for political reasons.
Defending Nagendra, Shivakumar described him as a loyal Congress leader who has been elected MLA four times and said the party leadership had been briefed on the facts of the matter. The final decision, he added, would be taken by the Congress high command.
On the BJP-JDS Opposition alliance’s protest and padayatra seeking Nagendra’s removal, Shivakumar said the government could not stop them from holding protests. However, he accused the Opposition of avoiding discussions in the Assembly despite having an opportunity to raise the issue.
Shivakumar alleged that Opposition members were reluctant to participate in debates on various alleged irregularities as discussions could also bring up controversies from their tenure.
The BJP has been demanding Nagendra’s removal in connection with the alleged ₹89-crore irregularities in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. The controversy erupted after the corporation’s accounts superintendent P. Chandrashekharan died by suicide in May 2024, leaving behind a note alleging financial irregularities.
Shivakumar said he had also discussed Karnataka’s political developments with Rahul Gandhi. The Congress leader is expected to visit Karnataka soon and attend a gig workers’ convention in Bengaluru, he said.