BJP To Lay Siege to Karnataka Assembly on Aug 24, Says LoP Ashoka

Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Sunday announced that the BJP and its ally JD(S) would lay siege to Vidhana Soudha here on August 24 seeking the removal of Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra from the cabinet.

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Ashoka demanded the removal of Nagendra for his alleged involvement in the Rs 89 crore Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam.

The BJP workers had been staging protests and day-and-night dharnas across the state for the past week and announced that the party would march from Freedom Park and lay siege to Vidhana Soudha at 9.30 am on Monday. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra would also participate in the protest, he said.

"We will not stop here. Tomorrow too, we are going to lay siege to Vidhana Soudha," Ashoka said.

The former Deputy Chief Minister alleged that the Congress government was trying to suppress the truth by staging counter-protests.

He also said the agitation would continue both inside and outside the legislature.

The Valmiki Corporation controversy erupted in May-June 2024, when its accounts superintendent P Chandrasekharan died by suicide, leaving behind a note alleging financial irregularities in the corporation.

The subsequent investigation found that Rs 89 crore had been illegally transferred from its Union Bank account to various accounts, with the overall alleged diversion of funds later pegged at about Rs 187 crore.

Nagendra, who was then the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister, resigned from the Siddaramaiah Cabinet on June 6, 2024, amid the controversy and subsequent investigations by central agencies.

He was re-inducted into Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's Cabinet on August 3, 2026, and allocated the Planning and Statistics portfolio as part of the Cabinet expansion in which 19 Congress MLAs were inducted as ministers.

The BJP and JD(S) have since stepped up protests inside and outside the Assembly and Legislative Council, demanding Nagendra's removal.

The opposition has disrupted proceedings over the issue, maintaining that the government should not retain a minister facing allegations linked to the corporation scam.

Ashoka on Sunday questioned the Congress leadership's "loyalty", asking whether it stood with the interests of Scheduled Tribes, constitutional values and proper utilisation of taxpayers' money, or with Nagendra.

"There are more than 34 cases involving him, and all these cases are related to looting," Ashoka alleged.

The LoP claimed that the BJP had compiled details of 35 cases, including those relating to mining and the Valmiki Corporation.

He said he had held a detailed discussion with Union Minister and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy, who, according to Ashoka, supported continuing the agitation.

The BJP leader said the party's objective was to ensure proper utilisation of taxpayers' money, protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes and uphold constitutional values.

The proposed Vidhana Soudha siege is the latest escalation in the opposition's campaign against Nagendra, with the BJP seeking to keep the Valmiki Corporation issue at the centre of the ongoing confrontation with the Congress government.

Ashoka further alleged that the Congress dispensation was attempting to shield Nagendra and said the opposition would continue to raise the issue in the legislature and outside.

Citing a Supreme Court judgment, Ashoka said holding ministerial office involved not merely exercising power but adhering to "constitutional morality", "good governance" and "constitutional trust".

He wondered whether Nagendra met these standards.

Referring to the death of corporation accounts superintendent P Chandrasekharan, Ashoka said his death note had alleged that money was transferred on the instructions of the minister.

He claimed that three CBI chargesheets had been filed in the case and questioned why the agency had sought the Governor's permission if Nagendra's name did not figure in the investigation.

Ashoka also alleged that forensic material examined by the Special Investigation Team showed conversations between Nagendra and his close associate Nekundi Nagaraj relating to financial dealings. He claimed the records also referred to "political pressure".

He alleged that the state Cabinet would not grant sanction for prosecuting Nagendra.

Referring to the CBI's findings, Ashoka said Rs 89.63 crore had allegedly been diverted through forged cheques and RTGS transactions and subsequently layered through about 600 bank accounts before being converted into cash, luxury vehicles and gold.

He further alleged that the investigation had identified Nagendra as a beneficiary of a benami vehicle purchased with diverted funds and claimed that Rs 1.2 crore in alleged illegal gratification was routed through Nagaraj into accounts linked to Nagendra's sister, brother-in-law, personal assistant and a farmhouse owner in Ballari.

He alleged that Rs 15.50 lakh had also been paid to a section officer and demanded that the documents relating to the alleged transactions be discussed in the Assembly.

Ashoka said he had already submitted the documents to the government during a three-hour presentation and that the material was available on the Assembly record.

He also claimed that several properties linked to Nagendra had been attached by the CBI and asked why such action had been taken if the minister had no connection with the alleged diversion of funds.

Ashoka expressed confidence that Nagendra would resign on Monday.