B Nagendra Steps Down as BJP Pressure Mounts Over Valmiki Case

Bengaluru, August 28, 2026: Karnataka Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra resigned from the state Cabinet on Friday, ending his second stint as a minister amid continuing allegations linked to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation case.

Nagendra announced his decision at a press conference in Bengaluru and became the first minister to step down from Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s Cabinet since the new government took charge. He had resigned from the then Siddaramaiah Cabinet in June 2024 after the controversy over alleged diversion of funds from the tribal development corporation.

The latest resignation follows sustained pressure from the BJP and JD(S), which had repeatedly demanded Nagendra’s removal during the Karnataka legislature’s monsoon session. The Opposition had also announced a protest march in the region around Ballari, where Nagendra is an influential Congress leader.

Nagendra says he is resigning voluntarily

Nagendra, who became visibly emotional during his press conference, rejected the allegations against him and said he was stepping down on his own decision.

“I believe in the Constitution,” he said, according to NDTV, while questioning the BJP’s allegations and asking where the evidence against him was. He also accused the Opposition of targeting him because he is a Dalit leader.

When asked whether the Congress high command had instructed him to resign, Nagendra told NDTV: “No, I take my own decisions.”

He said he did not want his continued presence in the Cabinet to become an issue for the Congress, particularly ahead of the BJP’s planned campaign in the Ballari region.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had earlier indicated that Nagendra would explain his position himself. Reports before the resignation said Nagendra had offered to step down in the interest of the party.

The Valmiki Corporation case

The controversy centres on alleged irregularities involving funds of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, an organisation established for the development and welfare of Scheduled Tribe communities.

The issue came to public attention in May 2024 after the corporation’s accounts superintendent, Chandrasekharan P, died by suicide and left a note alleging unauthorised transfers of funds. Subsequent investigations found that large amounts had moved from corporation accounts to other bank accounts.

The Central Bureau of Investigation filed a chargesheet in June 2026 naming Nagendra among 30 accused. The CBI alleged that about ₹89.63 crore was fraudulently diverted through forged cheques and RTGS transactions and subsequently routed through roughly 600 bank accounts. The agency alleged that the money was ultimately converted into cash, bullion and luxury vehicles.

Those allegations remain allegations contained in the investigation and chargesheet; they do not by themselves establish criminal guilt.

Why Nagendra was under renewed pressure

The issue returned to the centre of Karnataka politics after Shivakumar inducted Nagendra into his Cabinet on August 3, giving him the Planning and Statistics portfolio.

The BJP immediately renewed its demand for his removal, pointing to the CBI investigation and chargesheet. During the monsoon session, BJP and JD(S) legislators repeatedly disrupted proceedings over the issue. The session eventually ended three days earlier than scheduled.

The political pressure increased after reports that the CBI had sought Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s sanction to prosecute Nagendra. The request was reported in August, with the Governor’s office seeking legal advice on the matter.

The Karnataka government, however, maintained that investigative agencies had not provided documents directly establishing Nagendra’s guilt. Shivakumar said in the Legislative Council on August 24 that there was nothing wrong with seeking a minister’s resignation but argued that the allegations should be discussed through the legislature.

Congress defence and Nagendra’s response

The Congress government and its ministers had defended Nagendra during the legislative confrontation.

Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader said the Special Investigation Team had given Nagendra a clean chit and claimed that most of the diverted money had been recovered. Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi also said Nagendra had received clean chits from the SIT and Lokayukta, a position the Congress used to justify his re-induction into the Cabinet.

The CBI’s subsequent chargesheet, however, named Nagendra among the accused and alleged that he had a role in the conspiracy surrounding the diversion of funds. The CBI’s version therefore differs materially from the defence advanced by the Congress government and Nagendra.

Nagendra has consistently denied wrongdoing.

A second resignation over the same controversy

Nagendra’s departure on Friday is notable because it is the second time he has left a Karnataka Cabinet over the Valmiki Corporation controversy.

In June 2024, while serving as Tribal Welfare Minister under Siddaramaiah, he resigned amid the initial investigation into the alleged diversion of funds. He was subsequently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the case and later released on bail.

Despite the controversy, Congress brought him back into the Cabinet on August 3, shortly after Shivakumar became chief minister. His re-induction triggered a fresh round of criticism from the BJP and became one of the central issues during the monsoon session.

BJP plans campaign in Ballari region

The BJP has announced a foot march from Raichur to Ballari beginning September 1 and continuing through September 10. The party plans to use the march to attack the Congress government’s record, with Nagendra’s re-induction and the Valmiki case expected to be among the major issues.

The planned protest adds a political dimension to Nagendra’s resignation. With him now outside the Cabinet, the Opposition’s principal demand for his removal as a minister has been met, although the underlying criminal investigation and prosecution process remain separate matters.

For Nagendra, the resignation does not resolve the legal questions surrounding the case. The CBI chargesheet remains before the judicial system, while the reported request for prosecution sanction has added another procedural stage to the matter.

Nagendra, meanwhile, says he intends to fight the allegations and establish his innocence. His resignation therefore ends his current Cabinet role, but not the controversy that has followed him through two ministerial tenures.