BJP Leads Statewide Protests Demanding Removal of Minister B. Nagendra

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal Secular (JDS) have formed an alliance to pressure Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to remove Minister B. Nagendra from the state cabinet. The opposition cites Nagendra's alleged involvement in a 187 crore scam within the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, claiming funds were diverted to Telangana for election use.

BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka and State President B.Y. Vijayendra, announced statewide protests for August 12, 2026. These demonstrations were planned at all district headquarters in front of Deputy Commissioner offices. The BJP asserts that Nagendra faces 31 pending investigations across the Central Bureau of Investigation, Lokayukta, Special Investigation Team, and Criminal Investigation Department.

Minister Shivaraj Tangadgi defended the re-induction, arguing that Nagendra remains only an accused person who has not been convicted. Tangadgi claimed the Criminal Investigation Department provided a clean chit and dismissed the opposition's demands as politically motivated. In response, BJP leaders Basavaraj Mattimadu and Rajkumar Patil Telkur maintained that appointing a minister facing such serious allegations without legal clearance is unacceptable. The BJP has vowed to continue protests and raise the issue during the upcoming Assembly session.