Bengaluru, Aug 23 — The Karnataka BJP will lay siege to Vidhana Soudha on Monday as part of its continued agitation for the resignation of Planning and Statistics Minister B. Nagendra over the alleged Tribal Welfare Corporation scam, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, R. Ashoka, said on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Bengaluru, Ashoka said the protest would begin at 9.30 a.m. from Freedom Park, following which the BJP workers would march to Vidhana Soudha and lay siege to it. BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra and several senior party leaders are expected to participate in the protest.
Ashoka said the BJP would continue its agitation until Nagendra resigns over the alleged misappropriation of funds from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
“We will put pressure on the government. Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has asked us to continue the protest and has said that our party workers will extend their cooperation,” he said.
Ashoka said the BJP had been conducting protests at district and taluk headquarters across Karnataka, with party workers staging day-and-night demonstrations demanding Nagendra’s resignation.
“We are not going to stop here. People across the state are also condemning the alleged loot of Dalit funds and have raised their voice against Nagendra. As a result, the entire government is under pressure,” he said.
He claimed that Rs 187 crore from the Valmiki Corporation had been misappropriated and alleged that the money was diverted to Andhra Pradesh and Ballari, Nagendra’s native district, and used during elections.
Ashoka said the BJP had submitted documents relating to the alleged diversion and accused the ruling party of holding counter-protests to divert attention from the scam.
Ashoka challenged Congress leaders to clarify whether they stood with the interests of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, constitutional values and proper utilisation of public money, or with Nagendra.
“Are you in favour of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, constitutional values and proper utilisation of public money, or are you in favour of Minister Nagendra? You have to decide,” he said.
Ashoka alleged that Nagendra was facing more than 35 cases, which he claimed were related to alleged corruption and financial irregularities rather than political protests.
He also questioned the Congress government's claim that Nagendra's name did not figure in the CBI chargesheet.
“If Nagendra's name is not in the chargesheet, why has the CBI written to the Governor seeking permission to question him?” Ashoka asked, referring to Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara's statements on the issue.
Ashoka rejected the Congress allegation that the BJP was targeting Nagendra because he is a Dalit.
“Is Nagendra the only Dalit leader in the Congress? H.C. Mahadevappa is also a Dalit. Kampli MLA J.N. Ganesh and Annapurna, wife of E. Tukaram, are also Dalits,” he said.
He questioned why the BJP should be accused of targeting Dalits when it was demanding accountability over the alleged misuse of funds meant for their welfare.
“If the government wants to make four Dalit leaders Cabinet ministers, we have no objection,” Ashoka said.
Ashoka expressed confidence that Nagendra would resign by Monday and claimed that the issue had created discontent within Congress.
“No one spoke in favour of Minister Nagendra during the session. The issue has sparked a fire within the Congress party,” he said.
He also claimed that around 45 to 50 Congress MLAs were not attending the Assembly session and hoped that the government would allow discussions on drought and the Bidadi Township project after Nagendra’s resignation.
The BJP has said it will continue its agitation inside and outside the Assembly until Nagendra steps down. The government has, however, maintained that the allegations are being dealt with through the ongoing investigation.