Karnataka BJP threatens House disruption over Nagendra's return to Cabinet

Bengaluru: The Karnataka BJP on Wednesday threatened to disrupt proceedings in the upcoming legislature session unless Chief Minister DK Shivakumar drops minister B Nagendra from the Cabinet, citing the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) money laundering case against him in the alleged Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam.

The legislature is scheduled to convene on August 13, with the Congress government expected to face a combative Opposition over corruption and governance issues.

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Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said the BJP would not allow the House to function if Nagendra continued as a minister while facing criminal proceedings.

"Nagendra is still an accused in the case and is out only on bail. A tainted person should not continue as a minister," Narayanaswamy said.

Nagendra, the MLA from Ballari Rural, had resigned as Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister in 2024 after allegations surfaced over the diversion of funds from the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, which implements welfare programmes for Scheduled Tribe communities.

The ED alleged that about Rs 89.63 crore meant for the corporation's welfare schemes was siphoned off through fraudulent transactions. The agency registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), arrested Nagendra in June 2024 and later filed a prosecution complaint before a special court against him and 24 others.

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In December 2025, the ED provisionally attached four immovable properties, including residential and commercial land and buildings worth about Rs 8.07 crore, allegedly linked to Nagendra as part of its investigation.

Nagendra, who has denied wrongdoing, was re-inducted into the Cabinet during the recent expansion, a move that drew sharp criticism from the BJP.

The Opposition is expected to raise the issue prominently during the legislature session, setting the stage for a confrontation between the ruling Congress and the BJP over the government's decision to bring Nagendra back into the ministry despite the pending ED case.