Karnataka Minister B Nagendra Offers Resignation Amid Corruption Allegations

Karnataka Minister B Nagendra has offered to resign from the DK Shivakumar-led cabinet amid renewed pressure from the BJP over alleged corruption in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.

The Opposition has been demanding Nagendra’s removal over alleged irregularities amounting to around ₹89 crore in the corporation. As the BJP stepped up its protests, Nagendra offered to step down on Wednesday.

Sources said Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has asked the minister to wait until he consults the party’s high command before taking a final decision.

Valmiki Corporation case

The controversy emerged in May 2024 after corporation accounts officer Chandrasekharan P died by suicide and left behind a note alleging unauthorised transfers of funds.

Subsequent investigations alleged that substantial amounts were moved from the corporation’s bank accounts to various other accounts, triggering a political controversy and demands for action against those responsible.

Nagendra was serving as the Tribal Welfare Minister in the Siddaramaiah government at the time. He resigned from the cabinet in June 2024 following the controversy.

He was later brought back into the cabinet on August 3 after DK Shivakumar became chief minister.

BJP steps up protest

Nagendra’s latest offer to resign came a day after the Karnataka BJP announced a 10-day padayatra from Raichur to Ballari to target the Congress government over various issues, including the alleged corruption case.

The march, scheduled from September 1 to 10, will cover around 200 km. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said the party would highlight Nagendra’s return to the cabinet as well as allegations concerning farmers’ distress, unemployment, reservation and irregularities in recruitment.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi is scheduled to inaugurate the march in Raichur on September 1, with the protest set to conclude in Ballari.

The latest political developments have put renewed focus on the Valmiki Corporation case and Nagendra’s position in the Karnataka cabinet.