Bengaluru, Aug 19 — Both Houses of the Karnataka Legislature on Wednesday paid condolences following the death of former Education Minister and senior BJP leader B.C. Nagesh, with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and BJP leaders recalling their long association and friendship with the former minister and hailing his contributions.

Former Minister Nagesh, 65, passed away on Tuesday at his daughter's house in Bengaluru after a brief illness. A two-time MLA from Tiptur, he was Minister for School Education and Literacy between 2021 and 2023, in the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government.

The mortal remains was kept at the BJP state office, ‘Jagannatha Bhavan’, for people to pay their last respects. The last rites will be performed in Tiptur.

"Former minister Nagesh, who was known to me for many years, performed well as a minister in the field of education. He was an honest person," stated CM D.K. Shivakumar.

CM Shivakumar responded to the media after paying his last respects to the mortal remains of former minister B.C. Nagesh here today.

"Nagesh made great efforts to bring discipline to the field of education. Whenever I visited Nonavinakere, he would participate with me in all the programs of the Nonavinakere Math. He was supportive on all occasions," he recalled.

"Nagesh's family members should not lose courage. Life and death are not in anyone's hands. This is the law of nature. We must work within this law. The good deeds done by Nagesh exist even today. Even though his constituency did not have a large population, he earned immense trust there and served as a public representative. May his soul rest in peace," he said.

"A fitting tribute will be paid to Nagesh by performing his funeral with full government honors. I pray to God to give his family, relatives, and admirers the strength to bear the grief of his passing," he added.

"Because I have to attend a meeting in Delhi and a meeting called by the Home Minister in Tamil Nadu tomorrow, I will not be able to offer tributes to him in the Legislature today," he said.

Speaking in the Legislative Council, Parameshwara said Nagesh was a close friend who had made significant contributions as both an MLA and a minister.

“He was a close friend of mine. He did good work as an MLA and minister. Whenever he was serving as a minister, he would call me and seek suggestions regarding the development of his district,” Parameshwara recalled.

Recalling an incident from 1994, when he had lost the Assembly election from the Madhugiri constituency, Parameshwara said Nagesh had personally visited his residence and urged him to join the BJP.

“He came to my house and asked me to join the BJP, saying that I would be taken care of well. He told me that Ananth Kumar had sent him and asked him to somehow convince me to join the BJP. He said L.K. Advani was coming to Tumakuru and that they wanted to announce the ticket for me,” Parameshwara said.

Parameshwara said he did not accept the proposal.

Recalling Nagesh's background, the Deputy Chief Minister said the former minister was already a prominent and wealthy person in Tiptur at the time and had no necessity to enter public life.

“Even then, he chose to dedicate himself to public service. Nagesh was a very honest person and did good work as a minister. He respected senior leaders irrespective of political differences,” Parameshwara said.

Parameshwara offered his condolences to Nagesh's family and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace.

He also prayed that God would give the bereaved family the strength to overcome their loss.

BJP State President, B.Y. Vijayendra, said that B.C. Nagesh was a politician known for his friendly nature, simplicity and decency.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly while paying tribute to B.C. Nagesh, Vijayendra said that in today’s politics, caste and financial strength have become almost essential to win elections and rise politically. However, despite not having the backing of caste or money, Nagesh was elected MLA from Tiptur twice and left his mark on the education sector as the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education during the tenure of Basavaraj Bommai as Chief Minister.

Vijayendra recalled that Nagesh worked with the objective of developing skills and creativity among students, rather than limiting education to textbook knowledge.

He said Nagesh had entered politics as an ordinary party worker after serving in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

“He was a rare politician who maintained cordial relations with everyone without creating hostility with anyone,” Vijayendra said.

He also said Nagesh had laid a strong foundation in the education sector during the challenging period following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former Chief Minister and BJP MP, Basavaraj Bommai, said that with the demise of former minister B.C. Nagesh, “we have lost a trustworthy friend, an ideal leader and a politician.”

“This is an irreparable loss for the Bharatiya Janata Party, the state and me personally,” Bommai said.

Speaking to the media after paying his last respects to the mortal remains of B.C. Nagesh at the BJP state office in Bengaluru on Wednesday and offering condolences to his family, Bommai said Nagesh had remained actively involved in public life throughout his lifetime.

He said Nagesh had maintained extensive public contacts since his father’s time and had dedicated himself to serving the people.

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