Assembly proceedings in Karnataka were disrupted for the fourth straight day on Thursday as the BJP and JD(S) stepped up their demand for Minister B Nagendra’s removal over alleged embezzlement of funds from the state-run Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation.
The standoff continued through the day, with the Opposition refusing to join discussions unless Nagendra was dropped from the Cabinet. Amid repeated sloganeering and protests, the Speaker went ahead with listed business, including Question Hour, discussions on drought and the passage of three Bills, before adjourning the House for the day.
As the session began, BJP and JD(S) members raised the issue and demanded that Nagendra be removed immediately. Opposition members wore black armbands in 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 GS Patil asked the Opposition to take part in the proceedings and seek answers from the government, but Ashoka said they would do so only after Nagendra’s removal. “I have had enough discussions on charges and allegations against Nagendra in the past,” he said.
Ashoka also accused Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara of “misleading” the House on Wednesday by giving Nagendra a clean chit even though, he said, the minister had been named in several charge sheets.
Parameshwara had defended Nagendra’s induction into the Cabinet and criticised the Opposition’s protests a day earlier. Ashoka further alleged, “Siddaramaiah had earlier removed Nagendra from the Cabinet, while Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and the Congress high command made him a minister once again by taking money from him”.
The remarks led to heated exchanges between the Opposition and treasury benches, with some Congress MLAs, including Pradeep Eshwar, raising counter-slogans.
Amid the protests, the Speaker conducted Question Hour and later asked Ashoka to take part in a discussion on the drought situation. Ashoka replied, “What is there to discuss when the government has not yet declared a drought and has not released money for relief?”
As the sloganeering continued, the House was adjourned for some time. When it met again, the Opposition renewed its demand for Nagendra’s resignation.
The Speaker repeatedly urged members to let the House function, but Ashoka said the ball was in the ruling party’s court and added, “Let the government first declare the state as drought-affected.
After that, we will participate in the discussion.” He also questioned why the Congress wanted to retain Nagendra despite the allegations and cases against him, and said another Dalit leader without such allegations could be appointed instead.
After lunch, the protests continued despite repeated requests from the Speaker to withdraw them and join discussions on issues including drought.
The House then took up and passed the Bangalore Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The Speaker later allowed Congress MLAs AS Ponnanna, Thammaiah and T D Rajegowda to raise issues for which they had given notices, including the Centre’s reissuing of the draft notification on the Western Ghats eco-sensitive zone.
Even after another adjournment, the situation did not change. The Speaker allowed a few Congress MLAs to speak on the drought situation and then took up calling attention notices, during which some Congress legislators sought replies from the government. No Opposition MLA took part.
With BJP and JD(S) members continuing their protests through the day, the Speaker finally adjourned the House. Nagendra, now Minister for Planning and Statistics, had resigned from the previous Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet after the allegations in the Valmiki corporation case and was inducted into the Shivakumar-led Ministry on August 3.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested the Ballari MLA in July 2024 in connection with the case, and a special court in Bengaluru granted him bail in October that year. He has been named in the charge sheets filed by the ED and the CBI.
– Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 20, 2026 22:02 IST
