Former Karnataka minister B. Sriramulu on Friday, 21 August launched a sharp attack on the Congress, drawing a direct line from the 1948 Jeep scandal under late Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to the alleged ₹187-crore Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam. Speaking at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state office Jagannatha Bhavan in Bengaluru, Sriramulu also challenged embattled minister B. Nagendra to swear on the Ramayana that he had no role in the alleged misappropriation.

The Historical Parallel BJP Is Drawing

Sriramulu described Nehru as the 'father of corruption,' anchoring his argument in the 1948 Jeep scandal — a case involving a ₹80 lakh contract signed by V.K. Krishna Menon, then India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, with a small foreign firm for military jeeps, allegedly bypassing standard financial protocols. 'From the Jeep scam to the Valmiki Corporation scam, the Congress has remained involved in corruption,' he alleged.

The comparison is a familiar BJP rhetorical device — using Nehru-era controversies to frame contemporary Congress governance as part of an unbroken culture of graft. Critics, however, note that the Jeep case was investigated and closed decades ago, making the parallel contested.

Valmiki Corporation Case: What Is Alleged

The Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation case centres on the alleged diversion of welfare funds meant for the Valmiki community. Sriramulu alleged that the money was routed into thousands of bank accounts and used for purchases including luxury vehicles and gold. He further claimed that a portion of the funds was deployed during Lok Sabha elections in constituencies including Ballari, Koppal, Raichur, Bidar, and Kalaburagi.

Minister B. Nagendra was arrested in connection with the case. Sriramulu alleged that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had acknowledged in the Assembly that corruption had occurred, though he claimed the current government was now walking back that admission. NationPress could not independently verify the specific Assembly remarks attributed to Siddaramaiah.

BJP's Demand and the Ramayana Challenge

Sriramulu issued a pointed challenge to Nagendra: swear on the Ramayana authored by Maharshi Valmiki that no corruption was committed. The invocation of Valmiki's name carries deliberate symbolism — the corporation bears the saint-poet's name, and the alleged victims of the fraud are members of the community that reveres him.

The BJP demanded Nagendra's removal from the Cabinet and his replacement with another member from the Valmiki community. 'A tainted Nagendra should not continue as a minister,' Sriramulu said.

The Dalit Politics Dimension

Sriramulu alleged that the Congress had a pattern of using Dalit leaders as a shield whenever it faced accountability, citing the Emergency era and the role of former Union Minister Jagjivan Ram as a historical precedent. 'The Congress remembers Dalits whenever it commits a wrong and needs someone to shield it,' he alleged.

He also pushed back on Nagendra's charge that BJP leaders were 'Manuvadis,' pointing out that Nagendra had previously received support from the same BJP leaders — first as a BJP MLA and later when he contested as an independent. The BJP's ST Morcha state president Bangaru Hanumantu, state vice-president Narasimha Naik (Raju Gowda), and former MLA K. Shivana Gowda Naik were present at the press conference.

Background: The Suicide That Triggered the Row

The controversy was set off by the death of corporation employee P. Chandrashekar, who died by suicide, reportedly in connection with the alleged fund diversion. Sriramulu noted that the victim's family was still grieving. The BJP has been protesting both inside and outside the Assembly, demanding Nagendra's resignation, and Sriramulu said the agitation would continue until that demand was met.