BJP and JD(S) Clash With Police Over Minister Nagendra

The Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally, the Janata Dal (Secular), staged a massive protest in Bengaluru on August 24, demanding the immediate resignation of Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra. The agitation centers on allegations that approximately Rs 187 crore intended for the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation was looted to fund Indian National Congress election campaigns in Karnataka and Telangana.

Following a gathering at Freedom Park, BJP legislators and workers marched to the Vidhana Soudha to lay siege to the state secretariat. The attempt resulted in scuffles as police used barricades to block entry. BJP State President B Y Vijayendra accused Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of misusing police forces to suppress dissent and protect Nagendra, who had previously resigned in June 2024 before being re-inducted into the cabinet on August 3, 2026.

Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka dismissed claims that the protests targeted Nagendra's Dalit identity, asserting the focus remains on the siphoned funds. Meanwhile, Home Minister Priyank Kharge dismissed the demonstrations as street theatrics and challenged the opposition to debate the allegations on the Assembly floor. The situation intensified as the Central Bureau of Investigation sought sanction from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot to prosecute Nagendra.