‘Manuwadis targeted me’: How Karnataka minister B Nagendra turned his resignation into a fight against BJP | Bengaluru News
BENGALURU: Karnataka Planning and Statistics minister B Nagendra on Friday announced his resignation, days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought sanction for his prosecution from governor Thaawarchand Gehlot in connection with the alleged Rs 90 crore Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation scam.A visibly emotional Nagendra made the announcement at a press conference in Bengaluru, alleging that he had been targeted because of his tribal identity.“Manuwadis targeted me because they don’t want a tribal man to grow,” he said, adding that he had taken the decision “with a heavy heart” to ensure that his party leadership was not embarrassed.Nagendra took a defiant tone even as he stepped down, asserting that the BJP could not intimidate him using central agencies.“They (BJP) can’t scare me with ED, CBI,” he said, challenging the party to contest against him in Ballari. “I challenge the BJP to come to Ballari and defeat me in the court of public opinion. I am ready to resign to my MLA post and ready to face elections if the BJP is ready,” he said.The resignation comes against the backdrop of mounting pressure from the CBI, which has sought prosecution sanction against Nagendra in the Valmiki Corporation case, in which Rs 90 crore was allegedly siphoned off. Of this amount, Rs 84 crore has reportedly been recovered by the state government through various means.Opposition leader R Ashoka had earlier confirmed that three charge sheets had been filed against Nagendra, all of which were pending before the governor.He had alleged that the state government would likely withhold sanction for prosecution against Nagendra while clearing similar sanction requests against BJP leaders Gali Janardhana Reddy and M P Renukacharya in a separate disproportionate assets case, since the latter two belonged to the BJP.The BJP-JD(S) opposition alliance had been intensifying protests demanding Nagendra’s resignation, including a planned Vidhana Soudha gherao and continued sloganeering inside the Assembly. Ashoka had said Union minister H D Kumaraswamy had backed the alliance’s protest strategy and that it would continue “until such a time that Nagendra resigns.”
