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🇮🇳 India /Elections & Politics

Karnataka minister B. Nagendra resigns amid graft allegations, slams 'Manuwadis'

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Karnataka minister B. Nagendra resigned from his post and MLA seat amid allegations of financial irregularities concerning the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation.
  • Nagendra stated he resigned voluntarily to prevent embarrassment to his party and accused the BJP of targeting him due to his tribal background.
  • The resignation follows pressure from the BJP and its ally JD(S), who had demanded his removal, while the Congress initially backed him.

Congress leader B. Nagendra tearfully announced his resignation as Karnataka's minister for planning and statistics, and from his MLA seat, less than a month after his induction. He stepped down voluntarily to avoid embarrassing his party amidst allegations of financial irregularities linked to the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation.

I am resigning of my own will to avoid the embarrassment that may cost my party because of unnecessary allegations made by the opposition party against me.

— B. NagendraExplaining his decision to resign as minister and MLA.

Nagendra directly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing them of being "Manuwadis" who targeted him because they did not want a tribal man to progress. He asserted that the BJP could not "scare him" with investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), framing himself as a "victim" of their politics.

The resignation came after significant political pressure mounted on Nagendra and the Congress party. The BJP and its ally, the JD(S), had been demanding his removal since his appointment to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's cabinet on August 3. They had organized protests and stalled legislative proceedings, leading to the detention of several BJP leaders.

the BJP could not “scare him” with ED and CBI, while claiming that he had been “targeted” by “Manuwadis” because they did not want a tribal man to grow

— B. NagendraCriticizing the BJP and alleging political targeting.

Despite the opposition's persistent demands, the Congress party, including CM Shivakumar, had publicly supported Nagendra. Shivakumar had previously stated that no court had convicted Nagendra and questioned the BJP's stance, pointing to Union ministers facing ED cases. Earlier reports of Nagendra offering to resign were denied by his office.

Let the opposition parties give a notice to discuss the issue in the House. There are many Union ministers facing criminal cases by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), there was no question of seeking Nagendra’s resignation.

— D.K. ShivakumarChief Minister of Karnataka, defending Nagendra against resignation calls.
About this summary

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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