In tears, B Nagendra resigns as Karnataka minister, MLA over Valmiki scam

Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister B Nagendra on Friday announced his resignation from the Cabinet as well as his MLA post, amid allegations over his involvement in financial irregularities in the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation.

Announcing his decision at a press conference, Nagendra said he was voluntarily stepping down to avoid causing embarrassment to the Congress party. He also described himself as a victim of what he called “Manuvadi” politics, an apparent reference to the BJP.

Nagendra’s resignation comes after sustained pressure from the BJP, which had been demanding his removal from the Cabinet over the alleged Valmiki Corporation scam.

The minister had earlier rejected reports that he would resign and maintained that the allegations against him were politically motivated. 

The BJP Karnataka unit welcomed the resignation, posting on social media that its “strike rate” was 100% and claiming Nagendra was out. The party also said it would continue its campaign against the Congress government.

What is the Valmiki Corporation scam?

The controversy emerged in May 2024 after P Chandrasekharan, then an accounts superintendent with the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, died by suicide and left 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 then moved to multiple other accounts, triggering a major political controversy.

Nagendra was the Tribal Welfare Minister when the controversy surfaced and resigned from the Cabinet in June 2024. He was later re-inducted into the Cabinet on August 3, 2026, with the Planning and Statistics portfolio.

His return to the Cabinet had revived Opposition demands for his resignation. The BJP and JD(S) had staged repeated protests inside and outside the legislature during the monsoon session, demanding his removal.

The Opposition parties had also planned a foot march from Raichur to Ballari from September 1 to 10 over the issue.