K'taka assembly proceedings disrupted for 4th day as Oppn demands removal of Minister Nagendra

Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly proceedings witnessed disruptions for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday as the opposition staged a protest demanding the removal of Minister B Nagendra over alleged embezzlement charges at a state-run corporation, from the Cabinet.

As the session began, the opposition BJP and JD(S) raised the issue and demanded that Nagendra be dropped from the cabinet immediately.

The opposition members were seen wearing black arm bands as a mark of protest.

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said, “We have been protesting against the loot of ST community money for the last four days. For Nagendra, the house has not been able to function. For one Nagendra the privilege of 224 members is being breached.”

Speaker G S Patil asked the opposition to join the discussion and seek answers from the government.

Ashoka maintained that the discussions could only resume after Nagendra's removal. “I have had enough discussions on charges and allegations against Nagendra in the past.”

He accused Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara of "misleading" the House on Wednesday by giving a clean chit to Nagendra, while he had been named in several charge sheets.

Parameshwara had on Wednesday made a statement in the House defending Nagendra’s induction into the cabinet and criticised opposition’s protest.

“Siddaramaiah had earlier removed Nagendra from the cabinet, while D K Shivakumar and Congress high command has made him minister once again, by taking money from him,” Ashoka alleged.

This led to heated arguments between opposition and treasury benches, with some ruling Congress MLAs, including Pradeep Eshwar indulging in counter sloganeering.

Amid sloganeering, the Speaker conducted question hour, during which a few Congress MLAs sought answers to their questions from the Ministers.

The Speaker then asked LoP Ashoka to participate in a discussion on drought. But the latter replied, “What to discuss when the government has not yet declared drought and released money for relief?”

As the opposition continued sloganeering demanding Nagendra’s removal despite his repeated request to take part in the debate on drought situation, the Speaker adjourned the House for some time.

The opposition parties have already announced that they would not allow the proceedings of the Monsoon Session if he is not sacked.

Nagendra, who resigned from the previous Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet following allegations of embezzling money at the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation, was inducted into the Shivakumar-led Ministry on August 3. He is now the Minister for Planning and Statistics.

The ED had arrested the Ballari MLA in the Valmiki corporation scam case in July 2024, and a Special Court in Bengaluru granted him bail in October that year.

Nagendra has been named in the chargesheet by the ED and CBI in connection with the case.