BENGALURU: Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Sunday said the BJP and its ally JD(S) would lay siege to the Vidhana Soudha on August 24, demanding the removal of Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra from the cabinet.
Speaking to reporters, Ashoka alleged that Nagendra should be removed over his alleged involvement in the Rs 89-crore Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam.
BJP workers have been holding protests and round-the-clock dharnas across the state for the past week. Ashoka said the party would march from Freedom Park and lay siege to the Vidhana Soudha at 9.30 am on Monday, with BJP state president B Y Vijayendra also expected to participate.
The Opposition has disrupted proceedings over the issue, maintaining that the government should not retain a minister facing allegations linked to the corporation scam.
Ashoka on Sunday questioned the Congress leadership's “loyalty”, asking whether it stood with the interests of Scheduled Tribes, constitutional values and proper utilisation of taxpayers' money, or with Nagendra.
“There are more than 34 cases involving him, and all these cases are related to looting,” Ashoka alleged.
The LoP claimed that the BJP had compiled details of 35 cases, including those relating to mining and the Valmiki Corporation
He said he had held a detailed discussion with Union Minister and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy, who, according to Ashoka, supported continuing the agitation.
The BJP leader said the party's objective was to ensure proper utilisation of taxpayers' money, protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes and uphold constitutional values.
The proposed Vidhana Soudha siege is the latest escalation in the opposition's campaign against Nagendra, with the BJP seeking to keep the Valmiki Corporation issue at the centre of the ongoing confrontation with the Congress government.
(With inputs from PTI)
