Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday, 10 August mounted a strong defence of cabinet minister B. Nagendra amid allegations linked to the Tribal Welfare scam, while simultaneously accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of engineering a constitutional crisis over the resignation of Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti. The remarks, made in New Delhi, brought two separate controversies in Karnataka politics into sharp focus on the same day.

Shivakumar on Nagendra's Taint Allegations

Pushing back against opposition criticism of B. Nagendra's induction into the cabinet despite pending allegations in the Tribal Welfare scam, Shivakumar questioned the very premise of the attack. 'Who does not have cases in this country? Who doesn't have? Didn't Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and D.K. Shivakumar himself obtain bail? Whoever had become minister, didn't they get bail?' the Chief Minister said.

On separate allegations that Nagendra had violated a High Court bail condition by travelling outside Karnataka after assuming his cabinet berth, Shivakumar said he was unaware of the matter. 'I don't know anything. Nothing has come to my knowledge. We have examined the allegations carefully. Against him, no order has been given that he should remain permanently in jail. The law is there and we will face it lawfully,' he said. The Chief Minister dismissed the opposition's posturing as an attempt to generate political controversy rather than a substantive legal challenge.

Cabinet Expansion: One Post Reserved for a Woman

Addressing questions about the delay in portfolio allocation to newly inducted ministers, Shivakumar drew a comparison with the tenure of former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, noting that Yediyurappa too had governed without a full cabinet for an extended period after assuming office. He confirmed that only one cabinet post remains vacant and indicated the Indian National Congress (INC) intends to fill it with a woman. 'Only one post is vacant and all other posts are filled. We have to give that post to a woman and we will give it. There is no urgency as such,' he said. He added that newly inducted ministers had already been deployed to districts to assess drought conditions.

The Horatti Resignation Row

The more politically charged controversy involves Basavaraj Horatti, the Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman, whose resignation has become a flashpoint between the ruling Congress and the BJP. Shivakumar maintained that Horatti had voluntarily agreed to step down and had submitted his resignation himself. 'Earlier, Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti had come to us and agreed to tender his resignation. The resignation was accepted and he had agreed to this in front of the media. However, later he filed a complaint before the Governor,' Shivakumar said.

The Chief Minister confirmed that the Congress has announced senior leader and MLC Saleem Ahmed as its candidate for the Chairman's post. He also confirmed that the resignation had been accepted by the Council Secretariat and that a formal notification had been issued. 'The person is not important, the office is important. It has been accepted and the notification has also been published already,' he said, dismissing BJP's claim that the resignation should have been submitted to the Deputy Speaker.

BJP Accused of Misusing Governor's Office

Shivakumar levelled a sharp charge at the BJP, alleging that the party was attempting to drag the Governor's office into a political dispute to manufacture a constitutional standoff. 'The BJP is creating a constitutional crisis. They are set to misuse the office of the Governor,' he alleged. He said he, along with other leaders, had personally met the Governor to apprise him of the sequence of events and the voluntary nature of Horatti's resignation.

Notably, Shivakumar also expressed sympathy for Horatti, suggesting the veteran legislator was being pressured by his own party. 'I am sorry for him. The BJP leaders are harassing a big leader,' he said. This is not the first time the Congress-BJP contest in Karnataka has spilled into a dispute over constitutional offices — the state has seen recurring friction over the role of the Raj Bhavan in legislative matters.

Delhi Meetings and Congress High Command

On his visit to New Delhi, Shivakumar said he regularly meets senior Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and K.C. Venugopal when in the capital, characterising the meetings as routine. He said the Congress high command would guide the party on the next steps in the Legislative Council Chairman controversy. With the session approaching, the allocation of portfolios and the resolution of the Council chairmanship are both expected to come to a head soon.