Mysuru (Karnataka): Karnataka Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, Saturday said he would send Minister for Planning and Statistics B. Nagendra’s resignation letter to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot today, after the former minister resigned from the Cabinet amid a political controversy surrounding the alleged Valmiki Corporation scam.
Addressing the media in Mysuru, CM Shivakumar said Nagendra had voluntarily tendered his resignation to prevent embarrassment to the Congress party and accused the BJP and JD(S) of focussing on politics instead of issues concerning the state and its people.
“The man has come and voluntarily submitted his resignation to avoid embarrassment to the party. I am sending the resignation letter to the Governor today,” CM Shivakumar said.
Reacting to the BJP and JD(S) moving ahead with a protest march, Shivakumar stated that the Opposition was more interested in politics than addressing issues such as drought and the Cauvery water dispute.
“For them, politics is important. Drought and the lives of people are not important. They are not concerned about the welfare of the state. They do not want to discuss the Cauvery issue or how we are managing the drought,” he said.
Shivakumar said he had asked the Opposition to submit a notice and come forward for a discussion in the Assembly, but alleged that they had instead focussed on the resignation of Nagendra.
“I asked them to give a notice and come for a discussion. They only focussed on taking the sacrifice of an innocent person,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the BJP and JD(S), Shivakumar alleged that the Opposition was unable to accept his becoming Chief Minister.
“What they want is politics. They are not able to tolerate that I have become the Chief Minister. The whole NDA is not able to digest this fact. Let good happen to them,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former minister B. Sriramulu alleged the BJP was not responsible for Nagendra’s emotional distress and blamed the Congress party for his resignation.
“We are not responsible for the tears of Minister Nagendra. The Congress party is responsible for your tears. BJP leaders are not responsible for your tears. The Congress is the root cause of your suffering,” Sriramulu claimed.
Addressing Nagendra directly, Sriramulu said the former minister appeared restless and claimed that the alleged scam involving the Valmiki Corporation had continued to haunt him.
“You are not in control. You are not able to sit in one place. Even during the Assembly session, I observed that you were always moving from one person to another and talking. Your karma has caught up with you,” he said.
Sriramulu also referred to Chandrashekar, the Dalit officer who died by suicide, and said the incident and the grief of his family members were continuing to haunt Nagendra.
“The tears of Chandrashekar’s family are following you like a curse and haunting you wherever you go. Because of this, your tears are coming,” he said.
Responding to Nagendra’s challenge to BJP leaders in the region to face him in elections, BJP MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy said the party was ready to face him at the polls.
“We are ready to face you. Let MLAs and MPs from the region resign and go to the polls. We will show our capabilities,” Reddy said.
Reddy also launched a sharp attack on Nagendra questioning whether the BJP had asked him to transfer the money to hundreds of accounts.
“Did we tell you to loot Rs 187 crore and send it to 600 accounts? Did we advise you to ensure Tukaram’s victory in the Lok Sabha election with that scam money? Did we ask you to send money to Mumbai, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh?” he asked.
