Published Aug 28, 2026 | 9:51 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 28, 2026 | 9:51 AM
B Nagendra being taken into custody by ED in July 2024. (Screengrab)
With a padayatra plan by the opposition BJP dangling over his head, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar has reportedly urged the AICC leadership to take a call on the resignation of Planning and Statistics Minister B. Nagendra, who has come under fire over corruption allegations.
BJP’s 10-day padayatra from Raichur to Bellari is set to begin on September 1 and will be led by Opposition leader R. Ashok. The saffron party aims to cash in on the Valmiki corporation scam involving Nagendra and hopes to create an impact similar to former CM Siddaramaiah’s Ballari Chalo padayatra in 2010, which paved the way for Congress to win the 2013 Assembly polls.
The BJP repeatedly raised the issue and demanded the minister’s resignation during the recently concluded Assembly session.
Caught in a bind, B. Nagendra had offered to resign to prevent further embarrassment to the party, particularly amid the possibility of the Governor granting sanction to prosecute him.
D.K Shivakumar, who met the AICC leadership in Delhi on August 27, is understood to have asked for a decision before September 1 so the BJP’S padayatra can be pre-empted.
The Valmiki scam pertains to allegations of embezzlement of funds and other irregularities in the state-owned Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation. The issue came to light in May 2024, when the corporation’s accounts superintendent, P. Chandrashekaran, died by suicide. In his suicide note, Chandrashekaran alleged massive unauthorised fund transfers in the corporation, prompting an investigation.
The probe uncovered further irregularities and alleged embezzlement of funds amounting to ₹ 89.63 crore, triggering a major controversy and leading to demands for the resignation of B Nagendra, who was the Tribal Welfare Minister at the time.
Nagendra stepped down in June 2024. However, he was inducted back into the Cabinet in August 2026, under the D.K Shivakumar-led government, triggering protests from the opposition parties.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
