Bengaluru

Assemblyproceedings were disrupted for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday as the Opposition protested, demanding the removal of Minister B Nagendra over alleged embezzlement of funds from the state-run Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation.

As the session began, Opposition BJP and JD(S) members raised the issue and demanded that Nagendra be dropped from the Cabinet immediately. Opposition members were seen wearing black armbands as a mark of protest.

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said, “We have been protesting against the loot of ST community money for the last four days. For Nagendra, the House has not been able to function. For one, Nagendra, the privilege of 224 members is being breached.”

Speaker G S Patil asked the Opposition to participate in the proceedings and seek answers from the government. Ashoka, however, maintained that the Opposition would participate in the discussions only after Nagendra’s removal.

“I have had enough discussions on charges and allegations against Nagendra in the past,” he said. He accused Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara of “misleading” the House on Wednesday by giving a clean chit to Nagendra, despite the minister having been named in several chargesheets.

Parameshwara had on Wednesday defended Nagendra’s induction into the Cabinet and criticised the Opposition’s protests. “Siddaramaiah had earlier removed Nagendra from the Cabinet, while Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and the Congress high command made him a minister once again by taking money from him,” Ashoka alleged.

This led toheated exchanges between the Opposition and treasury benches, with some ruling Congress MLAs, including Pradeep Eshwar, engaging in counter-sloganeering. Amid the sloganeering, the Speaker conducted Question Hour, during which some Congress MLAs sought answers from ministers on their questions.

The Speaker then asked Ashoka to participate in a discussion on the drought situation. Ashoka replied, “What is there to discuss when the government has not yet declared a drought and has not released money for relief?” As the Opposition continued sloganeering and demanding Nagendra’s removal despite repeated requests from the Speaker to participate in the debate on the drought situation, the House was adjourned for some time.

When the House resumed, the Opposition again raised slogans demanding Nagendra’s resignation. The Speaker repeatedly urged the members to allow the House to function and participate in the discussion.

Responding to this, Ashoka said the ball was in the ruling party’s court.

“Let the government first declare the state as drought-affected. After that, we will participate in the discussion,” he said.

Ashoka questioned why the ruling Congress wanted to retain Nagendra as minister despite the allegations and cases against him and suggested that another Dalit leader without such allegations be appointed instead.

With the Opposition’s protests and sloganeering continuing, the Speaker adjourned the House for lunch.

When the House resumed after lunch, the Opposition continued its protest despite the Speaker’s requests to withdraw it and participate in discussions on issues, including drought. The Speaker proceeded with the consideration and passage of Bills.

Amid sloganeering and protests, three Bills—the Bangalore Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2026—were passed by the House.

The Speaker then allowed Congress MLAs A S Ponnanna, Thammaiah and T D Rajegowda to raise issues for which they had given notices, including the Centre’s reissuing of the draft notification on the Western Ghats eco-sensitive zone.

As chaos continued amid confrontation between the ruling and Opposition benches over discussions on other pressing issues, the Speaker adjourned the House for some time.

When the House resumed, the situation remained unchanged. Despite the sloganeering and disruptions, the Speaker allowed a few Congress MLAs to speak on the drought situation in the state.

He then took up calling attention notices, during which some Congress legislators sought replies from the government. No Opposition MLA participated in these proceedings.

As the protests by the BJP and JD(S) continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.

Nagendra, who resigned from the previous Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet following allegations of embezzlement of funds from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation, was inducted into the Shivakumar-led Ministry on August 3. He is currently the Minister for Planning and Statistics.

The Enforcement Directorate arrested the Ballari MLA in connection with the Valmiki corporation scam in July 2024, and a special court in Bengaluru granted him bail in October that year.

Nagendra has been named in the charge sheets filed by the ED and CBI in connection with the case.