Bengaluru, Aug 13 (IANS) Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Thursday demanded that Minister B. Nagendra should quit the Cabinet, saying that he should step down if he has even a little respect for the Valmiki community.
Speaking to reporters, Vijayendra said Nagendra was an accused in the alleged scam involving the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation and should not attempt to evade the allegations by invoking his community identity.
“There is no personal animosity towards Nagendra. He himself should explain why a situation arose during Siddaramaiah’s tenure as Chief Minister that forced him to resign,” Vijayendra said.
He alleged that Nagendra was an accused in the alleged Rs 185-crore scam involving the Valmiki Development Corporation.
He said the issue came to light following the suicide of corporation superintendent Chandrashekhar, after which an investigation revealed that funds had been transferred to Telangana and allegedly misused.
Vijayendra said a chargesheet had been filed against Nagendra and that he had not yet been cleared of the allegations.
“If he is proved innocent, we have no objection to him becoming a minister. But when such serious allegations are pending against you, do not try to escape by invoking the name of your caste,” he said.
He also alleged that the family of Chandrashekhar had still not received gratuity and pension benefits. Though Chandrashekhar had served as a superintendent, the government had allegedly given his son a peon’s job, which Vijayendra termed an insult to the family.
Vijayendra said the BJP would continue its demand for Nagendra’s resignation both inside and outside the Assembly.
Responding to another question, he alleged that the Congress government had humiliated Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and forced him to resign.
Vijayendra also criticised the Congress government for having no women in the newly expanded state Cabinet.
He said the Congress had opposed the legislation providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and alleged that the Karnataka government had now demonstrated its lack of concern for women by failing to provide them representation in the Cabinet.
“With the Assembly session beginning, perhaps for the first time in the history of Karnataka, there is no representation for women in the Cabinet,” he said.
Referring to Karnataka’s legacy of social reformers such as Basavanna and Akka Mahadevi, Vijayendra said it was unfortunate that the Congress government had not given women a place in the Council of Ministers.
He alleged that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his government had committed an injustice and insult against women by denying them Cabinet representation.
–IANS
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