Valmiki scam: Karnataka minister B Nagendra resigns; breaks down on camera

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

47% : His return triggered fresh demands from the BJP and JD(S) for his removal over the alleged diversion of funds from the state-run corporation.Earlier on Friday, Nagendra had said he would meet chief minister D K Shivakumar and discuss the matter in detail."If a situation arises where my actions cause embarrassment to the party, then I will..." he had said, alleging that the developments were part of a "conspiracy".The opposition parties had staged repeated protests inside and outside the Karnataka legislature during the recent monsoon session, which was curtailed by three days and adjourned sine die on August 24 amid continued disruptions.The BJP and JD(S) had also planned a foot march from Raichur to Ballari from September 1 to 10, demanding Nagendra's resignation.The controversy dates back to May 2024, when P Chandrasekharan, then an accounts superintendent with the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, died by suicide and left behind a six-page note alleging irregularities and unauthorised transfers of corporation funds.Subsequent investigations found that Rs 89.63 crore had been transferred from a corporation account to a Union Bank of India account and later moved to multiple other accounts, triggering a major political controversy.Nagendra, who was tribal welfare minister when the issue surfaced, resigned from the cabinet in June 2024.He had previously rejected reports that he would resign and maintained that the allegations against him were "politically motivated".
43% : He had earlier resigned as tribal welfare minister in June 2024 when the controversy surrounding the alleged scam first surfaced.Nagendra was re-inducted into the cabinet on August 3 and given the planning and statistics portfolio.

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