Bengaluru, Aug 29 — Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, on Saturday hit back at the Congress over its allegations that the BJP was targeting Dalit leader and former Minister for Planning and Statistics B. Nagendra, questioning whether the Dalit officer who died by suicide in connection with the alleged irregularities did not deserve justice.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Ashoka said the family of officer Chandrashekar had taken to the streets seeking justice and questioned why Congress leaders were expressing concern over alleged injustice to Nagendra while ignoring the plight of the deceased officer and his family.
“According to Congress, the resignation of Dalit Minister Nagendra should not be accepted, while a Dalit officer like Chandrashekar can die by suicide. Chandrashekar was an honest officer,” Ashoka said.
It may be noted that the irregularities came to light after a death note was found following Chandrashekar’s suicide.
Ashoka alleged that several names mentioned by Chandrashekar before his death were also those of Dalits and questioned whether the Congress considered justice important only when the accused was financially well-off.
“The deceased Dalit and his family do not need justice, but Minister Nagendra, who is well off, needs justice, according to Congress leaders. They should be ashamed. What kind of justice for Dalits is this?” Ashoka asked.
He further questioned whether this was the kind of social justice envisioned by B.R. Ambedkar.
“If a Dalit is poor, he should not get justice, but if he is rich, justice should be ensured to him. Is this what Babasaheb Ambedkar taught us?” he asked.
Referring to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation case, Ashoka said the BJP and JD(S) had taken up the issue during the Assembly session and pursued it to its “logical end” with the support of MLAs.
He recalled that he had raised the issue when Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister and had spoken for around two-and-a-half hours in the Assembly. According to Ashoka, Siddaramaiah had then stated on the floor of the House that the amount involved was Rs 84 crore and not Rs 187 crore.
Ashoka also questioned Nagendra’s claim that he was a “disciplined soldier” of the Congress.
“I want to ask Nagendra whether his party had asked him to loot the money meant for Dalits,” he said.
Reacting to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s statement that Nagendra was innocent, Ashoka claimed that Nagendra’s name had figured in multiple chargesheets.
He alleged that the Enforcement Directorate had found Nagendra’s involvement in the case and accused the state government-constituted SIT of attempting to suppress the scam.
BJP MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy slammed Nagendra for his remarks on the issue and said that if Nagendra believed he was innocent, he should have produced evidence to establish his innocence instead of merely claiming that his name was not mentioned.
“The ED has strict guidelines and nobody can influence it. If it has evidence, it will proceed with the case,” Reddy said, reiterating his allegation that Nagendra was involved in the alleged scam.
It can be noted that Karnataka Planning and Statistics Minister B. Nagendra on Friday announced his resignation from the Cabinet, saying he was stepping down to ensure that the Congress party and its leadership were not embarrassed by the controversy surrounding the alleged Valmiki tribal welfare corporation scam. He has accused BJP of targeting Dalits.