Karnataka minister B Nagendra resigned from the D.K. Shivakumar government amid controversy over the alleged ₹187 crore Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation fund misuse case. Nagendra stated he resigned to protect the party from further controversy, despite the Chief Minister's request for him to stay. He asserted his innocence, claiming to be a scapegoat due to his Dalit identity and alleging the opposition was creating a false narrative.

Karnataka minister B Nagendra resigned from the D.K. Shivakumar government amid controversy over the alleged ₹187 crore Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation fund misuse case. Nagendra stated he resigned to protect the party from further controversy, despite the Chief Minister's request for him to stay. He asserted his innocence, claiming to be a scapegoat due to his Dalit identity and alleging the opposition was creating a false narrative.

Karnataka minister B Nagendra resigned from the D.K. Shivakumar government amid controversy over the alleged ₹187 crore Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation fund misuse case. Nagendra stated he resigned to protect the party from further controversy, despite the Chief Minister's request for him to stay. He asserted his innocence, claiming to be a scapegoat due to his Dalit identity and alleging the opposition was creating a false narrative.

Karnataka Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra resigned from the Cabinet on Friday evening, becoming the first minister in the D.K. Shivakumar government to step down amid a political controversy.

Nagendra, who returned from Delhi on Friday, announced his resignation at a press conference at Vidhana Soudha. He was accompanied by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Nasser Hussain, ministers Rizwan Arshad and Ajay Singh.

Speaking at length, Nagendra said the BJP had failed to cooperate with the government in the legislature despite the state facing a severe drought, and instead accused the party of creating a false scam narrative.

He alleged that he was being made a scapegoat by people who support the Manusmriti because they could not tolerate a Dalit leader becoming a minister.

He also said the governor had “handpicked” him for prosecution and maintained that he had no role in the alleged Valmiki Development Corporation scam.

Nagendra broke down while speaking and said, “A lie has been repeated many times to make it a truth.” He vowed to fight back and prove his innocence.

He clarified that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had asked him not to resign, but he did not want the party to suffer because of the controversy surrounding him. “With my own conscience, I am submitting my resignation,” he said.

Nagendra’s resignation comes against the backdrop of sustained pressure from the BJP and JD(S), which had been demanding his removal over the alleged ₹187 crore Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation fund misuse case.

The Opposition had made Nagendra’s continuation in the Cabinet a major issue during the monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature. The BJP repeatedly disrupted proceedings and staged protests demanding that the government sack the minister.

The BJP had also attempted to lay siege to Vidhana Soudha, accusing the Congress government of protecting Nagendra despite the allegations against him. The protests continued through the session, which was eventually curtailed three days ahead of its scheduled conclusion.

The BJP later announced a padayatra from Raichur to Ballari to pressure the Congress government to drop Nagendra from the Cabinet.

Nagendra was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2024 in connection with the alleged misappropriation of funds at the Valmiki Corporation and was later released on bail. Despite the controversy, he was inducted into the Cabinet during the second round of expansion on August 3, when 19 ministers took oath.

The case received another push recently when the Central Bureau of Investigation sought Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s sanction to prosecute Nagendra in connection with the alleged misuse of funds in the corporation.

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