R Ashok threatens protest if Nagendra stays in Karnataka cabinet

Senior BJP parliamentarian R. Ashok announced that the party will not tolerate the presence of Minister B. Nagendra in the Karnataka cabinet after alleged irregularities at the Valmiki Development Corporation. He said a formal petition seeking CBI and ED clearance has already been submitted to the Governor.

Ashok warned that if the minister does not resign, the opposition will launch a full‑scale protest, including a possible blockade of the chief minister’s official residence within a week. He reiterated that the scandal, which involved the theft of Dalit welfare money, proves that the mastermind is hidden in the higher echelons of the party.

The statement also touched on other pending issues such as the Bidadi township project and the National Institute of Engineering (NICE) programme, promising to raise them in the next assembly session.