BS Yediyurappa demands Minister B Nagendra's resignation over alleged scam
Shivamogga (Karnataka), May 29: Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra, following allegations of embezzlement of crores of rupees from a state-run corporation in his department, and a suicide death of an official linking him to it.
"It is unfortunate that an officer has died by suicide. It should not have happened. I demand that action should be taken against those he has named (in the suicide note)," Yediyurappa told reporters here.
There is a demand that Minister B Nagendra should resign in connection with the case, he said, "I demand that he quit voluntarily..."
The alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 87 crore came to light after an accounts superintendent at the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd, Chandrashekhar, died by suicide on Sunday evening, leaving behind a death note.
ALSO READ: Woman who accused former CM Yediyurappa of sexual assault dies in Bengaluru hospital
He has named the corporation's Managing Director J G Padmanabh, accounts officer Parashuram Durugannavar and Union Bank of India Chief Manager Suchismita Rawal in the note, while also stating that the minister had issued oral orders to transfer the funds.
The former chief minister also expressed confidence about the party winning maximum number of seats in the Lok Sabha and upcoming MLC polls.
"In the Lok Sabha polls, we will hundred percent win 20-22 seats (out of 28)....as the atmosphere is in favour of our party. We are making efforts to win the maximum number of seats in the legislative council polls, and I'm confident that we will be successful in that," he said.
Asked about former MLA K Raghupati Bhat contesting the council polls as a rebel from the South West Graduates constituency, the former CM said, "I don't want to speak anything about him. We had given him all the due positions and responsibilities. Despite that, he is adamant and is contesting. I'm confident that people will take appropriate decision."
The BJP had on Saturday expelled Bhat from the party for six years, after he refused to withdraw his candidature as an independent candidate for the MLC polls from the South West Graduates constituency.
Biennial elections to six seats (three each from graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies) of the Karnataka Legislative Council are to be held on June 3.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kerala polls: Vijayan, Revanth Reddy trade barbs as campaigning ends
Kannur (Kerala)/Hyderabad (PTI): A war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy turned acrimonious on Tuesday, the final day of campaigning for the April 9 Assembly polls.
The two leaders sparred on the virtual world as well, exchanging letters on their respective social media handles.
The escalation came after Vijayan, responding to Reddy's earlier remarks, used Malayalam expressions considered nearly derogatory, signalling strong disapproval of the Telangana CM's comments.
Reddy, campaigning for the UDF in Kollam district, hit back swiftly, likening Vijayan to PM Narendra Modi.
He said he would take any personal remarks from the senior leader as a "blessing" considering his age, but objected to what he described as insults directed at the people of Kerala. "But you cannot abuse our Kerala people," he said, hours before campaigning drew to a close.
The controversy began after Reddy had said "nee po mone Vijaya" by invoking a famous dialogue from superstar Mohanlal's blockbuster movie "Narasimham" while referring to Vijayan on April 1 during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom constituency.
Earlier in the day, while reacting to Reddy's earlier remarks, Vijayan said a CM must maintain basic standards of conduct and questioned whether such dignity was being followed.
In his response to a query, Vijayan used Malayalam words that were seen as nearly derogatory for Reddy, signalling his strong disapproval of the remarks made against him.
Sharply reacting to the CM's objectionable remarks, Congress leader V D Satheesan said Vijayan appeared to have "completely lost composure" and warned that any further deterioration in his conduct would have brought "greater embarrassment" to the state.
After the critical remarks during the press meet, Vijayan wrote on his 'X' handle that political differences are natural, but expressing strong disagreement through personally insulting remarks is an attitude that he rejects. Reddy's statements lacked factual backing.
In a detailed letter attached with the 'X' post addressing the Telangana CM, Vijayan said the experience of the people of Kerala was "vastly different" from what Reddy had portrayed.
He clarified that he did not intend to engage in a debate over the performance of the Telangana government, stating that it was for the people of Telangana and political parties there to assess their government.
Referring to Reddy's comments, Vijayan said the LDF government has been consistently publishing progress reports over the past 10 years on the implementation of its election promises, underlining its commitment to continuous accountability.
He also rejected the allegation of "selective appropriation" of Kerala's achievements, including its top ranking in the NITI Aayog SDG Index, and said such criticism was misplaced.
Dismissing claims of industrial stagnation, Vijayan said Kerala has made significant strides in the startup ecosystem and ease of doing business, adding that these achievements have been widely acknowledged.
He also alleged that key infrastructure projects in Kerala, including the Kochi Metro and Vizhinjam Port, faced delays under previous Congress-led governments at the Centre, while long-pending promises such as a railway coach factory remained unfulfilled.
Vijayan further accused the BJP-led Union government of discrimination against Kerala and said the state has been actively resisting what he described as "anti-federal and undemocratic" policies through legal and political means, including approaching the Supreme Court.
He also rejected Reddy's criticism that the LDF was not vocal enough against the BJP, asserting that Kerala has been at the forefront of defending constitutional values.
Concluding his letter, Vijayan reiterated the state government's commitment to building a "Nava Keralam" and moving forward as a model for others.
On April 1, while addressing party workers in Nemom, Reddy used the popular Malayalam film dialogue "Nee po mone Vijaya". He adapted it to target Vijayan, saying "Nee po mone Vijaya".
Reddy went further, claiming that Vijayan's "time is over" and that his "expiry date has passed".
Responding to these allegations, Vijayan had said that the Telangana CM was "misinformed" and accused him of "ridiculing" Kerala and its people while trying to hide the weaknesses of his own state.
In a later response, Reddy defended his remarks and said that many of the statistics cited by Vijayan were taken from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023 24, arguing that the data was already outdated.
Reddy in his letter questioned the veteran Marxist leader's claim that Kerala would become the first state to completely eradicate extreme poverty by late 2025 had been achieved. Further, he chooses to conduct himself respectfully and gracefully in his criticism of the Kerala government's performance, whereas Vijayan opted to use language of poor taste.
Reddy, in his letter on X, said that while he respects NITI Aayog's corruption rankings, he wants to know why the infamous gold smuggling case, linked to individuals connected to the CMO, remains unresolved, and why 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has not been accounted for.
