BJP leaders B Y Vijayendra, R Ashoka and others were taken into preventive custody on Monday as they marched to lay siege to the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, seeking the removal of Minister B Nagendra from the cabinet over his alleged involvement in the Valmiki Corporation scam.
The BJP also held a parallel protest at Freedom Park under the leadership of Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, with party leaders and workers raising slogans against the Congress government and demanding Nagendra’s resignation. The CBI subsequently investigated the case and filed a charge sheet in which Nagendra’s name was mentioned. The BJP has cited the charge sheet and a communication from the CBI to the Governor to demand his removal from the cabinet. He was subsequently inducted into the cabinet again after D K Shivakumar became Chief Minister.
The BJP has said that Nagendra, who had resigned as minister in 2024 following the alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Corporation Ltd, should not have been re-inducted into the cabinet.
At such a time, they (Congress government) are trying to suppress our agitation,” Vijayendra said. The BJP leaders accused the government of protecting those facing corruption allegations and said the agitation would continue until Nagendra was removed from the cabinet.
Nagendra had earlier resigned as minister amid the controversy. “Today, the BJP and JD(S) are fighting as the voice of the Dalits and those who have no voice.
No one needs to teach us what hooliganism is.
Referring to Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s statement calling the opposition “hooligans”, Vijayendra said, “Shivakumar, you are the hooligan. Today, you are trying to suppress our protest.”
