We forced Nagendra to resign earlier, will get his resignation this time too, claims Karnataka BJP
Bengaluru: Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashoka, on Wednesday claimed the BJP had earlier forced B. Nagendra to resign as minister over the alleged Valmiki Corporation case and would do the same again.
“We had launched an agitation and forced Nagendra to resign earlier also. We will get his resignation this time also,” Ashoka claimed while addressing the media in Bengaluru.
It can be noted that responding to BJP and JD(S) disrupting the Assembly proceedings and demanding his resignation in connection with the tribal welfare case, Minister for Planning and Statistics, B. Nagendra, on Wednesday accused the Opposition of targeting him, alleging that “Manuvadis” were conspiring to remove a Dalit and tribal leader from the Cabinet.
The minister questioned the Opposition’s continued demand for his resignation despite the government’s willingness to discuss the issue in the Assembly.
Speaking to media in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Ashoka accused the Minister for Planning and Statistics of attempting to discredit the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) by alleging that the agencies were politically motivated.
“CBI and ED have not come into existence today. They have been functioning for decades. Were they political or apolitical then?” Ashoka asked.
The BJP leader alleged that Rs 187 crore belonging to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation was diverted and claimed that Rs 1.2 crore had been directly deposited into Nagendra’s account. He further alleged that money was transferred to the bank accounts of Nagendra’s relatives and close associates.
Ashoka claimed that the CBI chargesheet contained details of the alleged transactions and that the money was distributed among around 600 accounts. He questioned how government funds could have been transferred to so many accounts without the knowledge or support of the minister.
He also named Nagendra’s close associate Nekkunti Nagaraj, alleging that money was deposited into his account. Ashoka further claimed that funds were routed through a cooperative bank in Andhra Pradesh before returning to Ballari, Nagendra’s native district.
“This was a pre-planned scam,” Ashoka alleged, adding that the CBI had filed three chargesheets and the ED had also filed a chargesheet in connection with the case.
Ashoka said the Opposition would not accept the clean chit reportedly given to Nagendra by the state CID, arguing that he should obtain clearance from the courts and not merely from an investigating agency.
He cited the example of former BJP minister K.S. Eshwarappa, saying that despite receiving a CID clean chit in a case, he was not immediately reinstated in the Cabinet.
“Let Nagendra get a clean chit from the court, particularly the Special Court for MPs and MLAs,” Ashoka said.
He alleged that the Valmiki Corporation case was fundamentally different from other corruption allegations as it involved the alleged diversion of government funds meant for the Scheduled Tribes community.
“This money belongs to STs and Dalits. We will not allow this,” Ashoka said.
Ashoka also rejected allegations that the BJP was targeting Nagendra because he belongs to the Scheduled Tribes community. He said the Karnataka government had several ST leaders who could be considered for ministerial positions if it wanted to increase representation.
“Let the Congress make other ST leaders ministers. There are four of them. Let them do it. They should not play the Dalit card here,” he said.
Questioning Nagendra’s claim that central agencies had targeted him without proper investigation, Ashoka asked how the CBI could have filed a chargesheet running into thousands of pages without conducting an investigation.
“How did Nagendra land in jail without investigation? How did a 9,000-page chargesheet come without an investigation? How was all this information gathered?” he asked.
Ashoka further questioned why Nagendra alone had been targeted if the investigation was politically motivated.
“If the Congress claims that he was targeted, why were other ministers not charged? Why was only Nagendra targeted?” he asked.
The BJP leader also recalled the Congress’s demand for the resignation of K.S. Eshwarappa when the BJP was in power and said the Opposition was now demanding similar accountability from the government.
Ashoka alleged that the CBI had established that the funds were withdrawn through cheques and reiterated that the BJP would continue its agitation until Nagendra resigned.
“We had forced his resignation earlier, and we will force his resignation again,” he said.