Bengaluru, Karnataka: Bengaluru witnessed another tense political confrontation on Monday as BJP and JD(S) leaders took to the streets demanding the removal of Karnataka minister B Nagendra over the alleged irregularities in the Valmiki Corporation.
The protest began at Freedom Park, with opposition leaders and workers raising slogans against the Congress government before marching towards Vidhana Soudha. Police had already put up barricades around the legislature complex, anticipating an attempt by the protesters to move closer to the Assembly.
The situation became tense when the protesters tried to cross the barricades. Police stopped them and several BJP leaders were taken into preventive custody. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka were among those detained.
The protest is linked to the long-running controversy surrounding the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. The BJP has alleged that funds meant for the welfare of Scheduled Tribe communities were illegally diverted and has repeatedly demanded that Nagendra be removed from the Cabinet.
The opposition has put the alleged amount involved at around Rs 187 crore, although figures cited in connection with the case have varied depending on what transactions are being referred to. The allegations remain part of an ongoing investigation and political dispute.
For the BJP and JD(S), however, the issue has become a larger question of accountability. Opposition leaders have argued that the government cannot claim to stand with the state’s tribal communities while a controversy involving their welfare corporation continues to hang over the administration.
The Congress government has pushed back against the opposition’s campaign, accusing the BJP of using the case for political gain. Congress leaders have also pointed to the investigations and the action already taken in the matter, while rejecting the demand for Nagendra’s resignation.
Monday’s protest added another layer to an already heated Assembly session. The BJP had announced its plan to lay siege to Vidhana Soudha, and police presence around the legislature was noticeably heavy as the protesters approached.
There was pushing and jostling as the two sides faced each other near the barricades. The detentions brought the demonstration to an early end, but they are unlikely to end the political argument.
The Valmiki Corporation controversy has continued to follow the Karnataka government through the Assembly session, with the opposition using every available opportunity to keep the issue in the spotlight. The government, on the other hand, has been under pressure to explain the circumstances surrounding the alleged fund diversion and the steps taken since the matter came to light.
For Bengaluru, Monday’s scenes outside Vidhana Soudha were a reminder of how quickly an issue being debated inside the Assembly can spill onto the streets.
The BJP and JD(S) have made it clear that they intend to keep pressing the government. Unless there is a political compromise or a major development in the case, the Valmiki Corporation row is likely to remain one of the key flashpoints in Karnataka politics.
