Bengaluru: Minister B Nagendra Wednesday countered BJP and JD(S) demands for his resignation over the tribal welfare corporation case by accusing the opposition of trying to push a tribal out of the cabinet instead of allowing a debate in the legislature.He said he was ready to answer questions on the alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation and explain his role and wondered why the opposition was insisting on his resignation when the govt was prepared to discuss the case.“These Manuvadis are conspiring to somehow remove us from the cabinet and push us out of office,” Nagendra said.He pointed out that he voluntarily resigned from the cabinet in 2024 after the allegations surfaced to ensure that his position did not influence the investigation. He said no money from the alleged transactions reached his account or any account linked to him when the FIR was registered.He said Rs 187 crore was transferred from the corporation without a board meeting and without his or the corporation chairman’s knowledge. He claimed he had limited involvement in its functioning. Following the death of corporation accounts superintendent P Chandrashekhar, an investigation was ordered and an SIT was constituted on May 31, 2024, he said.Nagendra said Rs 100 crore was frozen after the irregularity came to light, while the remaining Rs 87 crore was transferred through Union Bank of India to Hyderabad and distributed among some 800 accounts. He said investigators had recovered around Rs 79 crore.“I am innocent, and it pains me deeply that you are trying to portray a tribal as a criminal,” he said.He cited the controversy over Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s visit to Uttarakhand, where a place was allegedly “purified” after his visit, to argue that caste discrimination continued to exist. “The entire Valmiki community of Karnataka is watching how BJP is targeting me,” he said, appealing to the opposition not to view Dalits and Adivasis with hostility.“When a Dalit rises to a position of prominence, you should be happy. When an Adivasi rises from among ordinary people and does good work, you should be happy,” Nagendra said.Referring to the Enforcement Directorate’s action against him, Nagendra said he was arrested and jailed during the investigation and secured relief from the court. Only then was he given an opportunity to be minister.He urged BJP and JD(S) to allow the assembly to function and participate in a discussion on the case, along with issues such as the Cauvery water dispute, drought and the state’s water requirements.
