BJP demands ST welfare minister's removal, CBI probe into alleged Rs 187 crore fund transfer

BJP state party president BY Vijayendra on Thursday demanded that Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra be sacked and that the state hand over the case of an alleged illegal fund transfer by the department’s corporation to various bank accounts to the CBI for a probe. The BJP, he warned, would launch a statewide agitation over the issue, if its demands were not met within a week.

“It is not enough to suspend two or three officials in connection with the Valmiki Development Corporation scam,” he said. He was referring to the government suspending officials after a Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) officer’s alleged suicide over his seniors’ corruption.

The officer, Chandrashekhar, 52, had alleged in his “death note” on Sunday that the funds up to Rs 187.33 crore had been allegedly transferred to various accounts following pressure by the managing director of the corporation. He had named Corporation's managing director J G Padmanabh, accounts officer Parashuram G Durugannavar and Union Bank of India chief manager Suchismita Rawal in the note. He had also said that the orders were originally given by the department’s minister orally.


“It is impossible for CID or local authorities to investigate the case impartially. Officials have taken the pen drive and laptop from the house of the deceased,” Vijayendra said, after visiting the officer’s family in Shivamogga.

Hinting at a “bigger conspiracy,” Vijayendra added that during the Lok Sabha elections, hundreds of crores were transferred to Telangana through a 'fake' bank account. “There is no possibility that the officials have transferred such a large amount to Telangana without the permission of Minister Nagendra,” he said.

Earlier in the day, BJP ST Morcha leaders tried to lay siege outside chief minister Siddaramaiah’s home in Bengaluru, demanding that the minister resign. The police have detained several protesters.