Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) legislators on Tuesday, 18 August jointly escalated their demand for the removal of Karnataka Minister B. Nagendra from the state Cabinet, announcing a sustained united agitation through the ongoing Assembly session until he is sacked. The opposition offensive, mounted outside Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, centres on Nagendra's alleged role in the Karnataka tribal welfare scam, which investigators say involved the illegal diversion of funds meant for Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.

Opposition's Core Demands

Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka accused the state government of shielding a minister who, he alleged, faces active probes by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and is named in a chargesheet. 'The Karnataka government is a corrupt government. Until this corrupt government is shunted out, our struggle will continue. We will continue our agitation until Minister Nagendra is sacked and Rs 184 crore is brought back to the state treasury,' Ashoka said.

Ashoka questioned the Indian National Congress (Congress)-led government's decision to re-induct Nagendra into the Cabinet despite the ongoing central agency investigations. 'What was the necessity for the Congress party to take Minister Nagendra into the Cabinet? He is facing cases before the ED and CBI, and his name is mentioned in the chargesheet,' he alleged.

JD(S) Joins the Front

JD(S) MLA H.D. Revanna, son of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, confirmed that the two parties had agreed in principle to mount a coordinated protest and would finalise its form after further internal discussions. 'We have discussed holding a united agitation. We agree with what the BJP leaders have stated about the protest. We will hold a meeting and decide how to oppose the government unitedly,' Revanna said.

BJP State President Widens the Attack

BJP state president and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra broadened the opposition's agenda, urging the Assembly session to take up drought, alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), the NICE Township project, and the Bidadi project. He pressed Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to drop Nagendra without waiting for a fresh House debate, pointing out that Nagendra had already been removed once — under then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah — following earlier deliberations. 'When Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister, after discussions and debates, Nagendra was dropped from the Cabinet. In this backdrop, there is nothing left to discuss,' Vijayendra said, urging Shivakumar to 'come out of his obstinacy'.

The Tribal Welfare Scam: Background

The controversy stems from the alleged illegal siphoning of roughly ₹89 crore to ₹94 crore from the state-run Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited. Funds earmarked for ST community welfare were allegedly routed into fictitious accounts and shell entities. The scam surfaced in May 2024 after an accounts superintendent of the corporation died by suicide, leaving behind a note detailing the unauthorised transfers. Investigations subsequently revealed that a total of ₹187 crore had been deposited into a newly opened bank account, of which nearly ₹89–94 crore was systematically diverted. The ED, probing the money-laundering angle, named Nagendra as the prime accused in its prosecution complaint. He had resigned as Tribal Welfare Minister following the initial uproar but was later reinstated to the Cabinet — a move the opposition has consistently challenged.

What Happens Next

With the Assembly session under way, the BJP-JD(S) combine is expected to press its demands on the floor of the House and through coordinated protests outside. The Congress government has so far indicated it prefers a House debate before any Cabinet decision, a position the opposition has rejected as a delaying tactic. Whether Chief Minister Shivakumar yields to the pressure or holds his ground is set to define the political temperature in Karnataka through the remainder of the session.