Congress Divided Over B Nagendra's Resignation as Karnataka Minister

Differences have emerged within the ruling Congress in Bengaluru following the resignation of scam-accused leader B Nagendra from the state cabinet, with party leaders voicing contrasting opinions on the matter.

KPCC president B K Hariprasad asserted on Saturday that Nagendra had resigned on "moral grounds" and called the situation a conspiracy against a Dalit leader. He noted that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had taken action against involved officials without naming Nagendra in its chargesheet, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) failed to provide evidence that Rs 94.73 crore was received or used by the former minister.

Hariprasad also responded to opposition criticism, questioning how many BJP leaders have been chargesheeted, jailed, or placed under investigation. He challenged the opposition regarding corruption, citing the 2011 Lokayukta illegal mining report, Janardhana Reddy's three-year jail term, a CBI conviction, and B S Yediyurappa's judicial custody.

However, former minister and ST leader K N Rajanna stated that inducting Nagendra into the cabinet while the case was still active had been a mistake. Rajanna said Nagendra should not have been included in the first place, adding that he sympathised with Nagendra for being made a scapegoat.

Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi remarked that Nagendra's resignation closed the matter. While acknowledging that the issue caused embarrassment to the party, Jarkiholi stated that Nagendra does not need to resign as an MLA since he was elected for a five-year term, while supporting the demand to induct another ST leader into the cabinet.