Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Thursday, 13 August demanded the immediate resignation of Minister B. Nagendra from the state Cabinet, citing a pending chargesheet in the alleged ₹185-crore Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam. Vijayendra said Nagendra should step down out of respect for the Valmiki community, and warned that the BJP would press the demand both inside and outside the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

The Valmiki Corporation Scam

The alleged scam came to public attention following the suicide of corporation superintendent Chandrashekhar, after which an investigation reportedly revealed that funds had been transferred to Telangana and allegedly misused. According to Vijayendra, a chargesheet has since been filed against Nagendra, and the minister has not yet been cleared of the allegations.

'There is no personal animosity towards Nagendra. He himself should explain why a situation arose during Siddaramaiah's tenure as Chief Minister that forced him to resign,' Vijayendra told reporters. He added: 'If he is proved innocent, we have no objection to him becoming a minister. But when such serious allegations are pending against you, do not try to escape by invoking the name of your caste.'

Family of Deceased Superintendent Still Awaiting Benefits

Vijayendra also alleged that the family of Chandrashekhar had not yet received gratuity and pension benefits owed to them. He further alleged that despite Chandrashekhar having served as a superintendent, the government had given his son a peon-level job — a move Vijayendra described as an insult to the bereaved family.

Congress Government Criticised Over Women's Representation

Vijayendra broadened his attack, alleging that the Congress government had humiliated Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and compelled him to resign. He also criticised Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's newly expanded Cabinet for having no women members — what he described as potentially the first such instance in Karnataka's history.

'With the Assembly session beginning, perhaps for the first time in the history of Karnataka, there is no representation for women in the Cabinet,' Vijayendra said. He invoked the state's legacy of social reformers Basavanna and Akka Mahadevi, calling the omission of women from the Council of Ministers a betrayal of that tradition.

What Happens Next

The BJP has signalled it will keep up pressure on the Nagendra issue through the ongoing Assembly session. With a chargesheet filed and the minister yet to be exonerated, the opposition's campaign is likely to intensify as proceedings resume. The Congress government has not yet publicly responded to the BJP's fresh round of demands.