Karnataka Legislative Council BJP Chief Whip N. Ravikumar on Friday, 28 August declared that the resignation of Planning and Statistics Minister B. Nagendra is inevitable, alleging that the minister's continued presence in the Cabinet has caused serious embarrassment to the Karnataka state government. Speaking at Jagannatha Bhavan, the BJP state headquarters in Bengaluru, Ravikumar said both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular) had formally demanded Nagendra's resignation in the legislature.

Key Developments in the Nagendra Controversy

Minister Nagendra has not yet announced his resignation officially. However, he has reportedly stated that he would not embarrass his party — a remark widely interpreted as signalling an impending exit. Ravikumar alleged that crores of rupees had been illegally transferred from the Union Bank branch on M.G. Road to around 600 bank accounts, and pointed to the arrest of several officials in connection with the case.

The controversy has also been linked to the death of P. Chandrashekhar, who allegedly died by suicide amid the financial scandal. Ravikumar said the BJP had conducted protests across taluks and districts in Karnataka over the matter.

Where the Diverted Funds Allegedly Went

Ravikumar alleged that money originally earmarked for student scholarships, small business loans, and farmer borewell assistance was instead diverted for purposes including the Telangana Assembly elections, the Ballari bypoll, and the purchase of a Lamborghini car, gold, and silver. 'These allegations have been widely reported in print and visual media. All this has caused enormous embarrassment to the government,' he said.

Social Justice Allegations Against the Government

Ravikumar broadened his attack, accusing both the D.K. Shivakumar-led government and the previous administration under Siddaramaiah of being 'anti-social justice.' He alleged that Mankala Vaidya, from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, had been considered for a ministerial post but was later dropped. He also claimed that Gayatri Gowda, a woman from a backward community, had been denied opportunity, and questioned why Shivanna had not been inducted as a minister.

Ravikumar further alleged that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had denied ministerial opportunities to leaders including Satish Jarkiholi, M.B. Patil, K.H. Muniyappa, and Zameer Ahmed Khan in the context of demands for additional Deputy Chief Minister posts. He criticised Siddaramaiah for making his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah a minister.

Caste Census and Drought Relief Under Fire

Ravikumar alleged that a caste census conducted under the leadership of K. Kantharaj had not been implemented, and that a report submitted by Jayaprakash Hegde was similarly ignored. He claimed that while a report prepared under Madhusudan Naik had been received, pressure was now being exerted on Chief Minister Shivakumar to act on it — prompting Ravikumar to ask why the government had not acted when it was previously in power.

On drought relief, Ravikumar alleged that farmers had not received even a single rupee in compensation, calling it a grave injustice. He recalled that during B.S. Yediyurappa's tenure, farmers had reportedly received compensation of ₹27,000 per hectare for non-irrigated land and around ₹34,600 per hectare for irrigated land, and demanded that the government take immediate steps to provide relief to drought-affected farmers.

With the Nagendra controversy showing no signs of abating and the BJP keeping pressure on multiple fronts, the Karnataka government faces a politically testing period ahead.