BJP's Sunil Kumar slams Congress for inducting CBI-chargesheeted Nagendra into Karnataka Cabinet
Synopsis
The reinduction of former minister B. Nagendra into the Karnataka Cabinet — despite a CBI chargesheet naming him in the Valmiki Corporation scam — has reignited a bitter cross-party war. BJP's V. Sunil Kumar calls it a 'payment quota' appointment; Congress's Priyank Kharge fires back by invoking BJP's own leaders facing serious charges. With the ED probe still live and the CID having cleared Nagendra, the legal picture is anything but settled.
Key Takeaways
Sunil Kumar accused the Congress high command of inducting B.
Nagendra into the Karnataka Cabinet despite a CBI chargesheet naming him in the Valmiki Corporation alleged scam.
The CBI has filed three separate chargesheets and reportedly identified Nagendra as having played a 'major and primary role' in the alleged irregularities.
The CID has given Nagendra a clean chit in the same case; the ED investigation remains ongoing.
The CBI issued a statement on the chargesheet on 2 June 2026 ; Congress allegedly inducted Nagendra into the Cabinet within a month.
Minister Priyank Kharge defended the induction, questioned the absence of a court conviction, and accused the BJP of fielding its own leaders facing serious charges.
The row is expected to spill into the upcoming Karnataka Assembly session , with both sides threatening disruption.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former minister V. Sunil Kumar on Monday accused the Congress high command of rewarding former minister B. Nagendra with a Cabinet berth despite the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) allegedly naming him as a key figure in the alleged irregularities and criminal conspiracy involving the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. The charge comes even as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has given Nagendra a clean chit in the same case, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) continues its parallel inquiry.
What the CBI Chargesheet Alleges
Citing three separate CBI chargesheets filed after the agency completed its investigation, Sunil Kumar alleged that the CBI had explicitly identified Nagendra as having played a 'major and primary role' in the alleged scam. He also referred to a CBI statement issued on 2 June 2026 regarding the chargesheet filed against Nagendra.
'Look here! The CBI has clearly mentioned in its chargesheet that former minister B. Nagendra played a major and primary role in the irregularities and criminal conspiracy in the Valmiki Development Corporation,' Sunil Kumar alleged.
He further claimed the Congress high command inducted Nagendra into the state Cabinet within a month of the chargesheet, and questioned whether Nagendra represented the party's 'payment quota' for Cabinet allocations — a pointed political barb targeting the Congress leadership's decision-making.
Congress Hits Back: 'Show Us the Conviction'
Minister for Home, IT and BT Priyank Kharge, speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi, defended Nagendra's Cabinet induction and turned the 'tainted leader' charge back on the BJP.
'Where does it say that he is tainted? According to the BJP, I am also a tainted leader. Since the BJP does not have any other issue, they want to disrupt the proceedings,' Kharge said.
Kharge questioned in which court Nagendra had been found guilty, and pointed to BJP's own record of fielding candidates facing serious charges. 'In which court has Minister Nagendra been declared guilty? If that is the case, why has the BJP given tickets to so many tainted leaders? Charges have been proved against Janardhana Reddy,' he said, also making an apparent reference to former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in connection with POCSO charges.
Kharge also clarified that Nagendra's earlier resignation was voluntary and did not amount to an admission of guilt. 'Nagendra resigned only because he did not want the government to be embarrassed. He did not resign by accepting the charges. Whatever the case may be, the CID has given him a clean chit,' he said.
The Valmiki Corporation Case: Background
The Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam involves alleged financial irregularities and criminal conspiracy in funds meant for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes communities. The CBI has filed three chargesheets in the matter, while the CID — a state agency — has separately cleared Nagendra. The ED's financial investigation remains ongoing, creating a complex multi-agency legal landscape around the case.
Nagendra had stepped down from the Cabinet earlier amid the controversy, only to be reinducted — a move the BJP has consistently opposed as undermining institutional integrity.
Political Flashpoint Ahead of Assembly Session
The BJP has also accused the Congress of using the controversy to deflect attention from the Centre's role in releasing drought relief funds to Karnataka. Kharge pushed back, alleging that BJP legislators planned to disrupt Assembly proceedings precisely because they feared being questioned on the drought relief delay. 'They fear that we will question them about this in the House, so they are talking about disrupting the proceedings,' he said.
With the ED probe still active and both parties trading allegations of harbouring leaders facing legal scrutiny, the Nagendra controversy is set to remain a live fault line as the Karnataka legislature session approaches.
Point of View
And both the BJP and Congress have exploited that gap when convenient. Kharge's counter-offensive — pointing to Janardhana Reddy and Yediyurappa — is politically effective but logically deflective; two wrongs do not make a Cabinet appointment defensible. The more telling detail is the CID-versus-CBI split: a state agency clearing a minister while a central agency charges him creates exactly the kind of institutional ambiguity that allows governments to cherry-pick the verdict they prefer. Until India legislates a clear disqualification threshold, this cycle will repeat across every state, every party.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Valmiki Corporation scam that B. Nagendra is linked to?
The case involves alleged financial irregularities and criminal conspiracy in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, a state body managing welfare funds for Scheduled Tribes communities. The CBI has filed three chargesheets in the matter, allegedly naming Nagendra as a key figure, while the ED continues a parallel financial investigation.
Why is the BJP opposing Nagendra's Cabinet induction?
The BJP argues that inducting Nagendra into the Karnataka Cabinet while a CBI chargesheet is active against him undermines institutional integrity. BJP MLA V. Sunil Kumar alleged the CBI explicitly identified Nagendra as having played a 'major and primary role' in the alleged scam, and questioned why the Congress high command rewarded him with a ministerial post.
Has B. Nagendra been found guilty in any court?
No court has convicted Nagendra in the Valmiki Corporation case. The CID, a state agency, has given him a clean chit, though the CBI has filed chargesheets and the ED probe is ongoing. Minister Priyank Kharge cited the absence of a court conviction in defending the Cabinet induction.
What did Priyank Kharge say in response to the BJP's accusations?
Kharge defended Nagendra's reinduction, questioned in which court he had been declared guilty, and accused the BJP of fielding its own leaders facing serious charges — citing Janardhana Reddy and making an apparent reference to former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. He also said Nagendra's earlier resignation was voluntary and not an admission of guilt.
Why did B. Nagendra resign from the Cabinet earlier?
According to Minister Priyank Kharge, Nagendra resigned to prevent embarrassment to the government and not because he admitted to the charges against him. He was subsequently reinducted into the Karnataka Cabinet, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the BJP.
