MANGALURU, BELAGAVI, SHIVAMOGGA: Several Congress ministers on Saturday hit out at the BJP for repeatedly disrupting the ongoing monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature seeking the resignation of Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra.
Health and Family Welfare Minister UT Khader told reporters in Mangaluru that the BJP appears to have a hidden agenda to disrupt the session by demanding Nagendra’s resignation, instead of allowing meaningful discussions on issues concerning the people.
Khader said the BJP was deliberately disrupting the legislature session and should understand that the House is a platform to discuss issues faced by the people and find solutions, rather than engage in political disruptions. He also accused the BJP of politicising the issue, and said people will never forgive them.
He said the BJP could have served a notice seeking a discussion on the issue, allowing the State Government to explain why Nagendra was inducted into the cabinet.
Khader also claimed that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has given a clean chit to Nagendra in the alleged Valmiki Development Corporation scam and said that 99.5% of the money had been recovered.
On the CBI seeking Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s sanction to prosecute Nagendra, Khader questioned the BJP’s demand for the minister’s resignation, pointing out that saffron party leaders had also faced allegations in several cases and inquiries by investigative agencies.
In Belagavi, Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi said Nagendra had already received a clean chit from both the Lokayukta and the SIT, following which the Congress high command decided to reinstate him in the DK Shivakumar cabinet.
Satish also defended the BJP’s proposed padayatra, saying the Opposition had every legal right to undertake such a protest. “There is nothing wrong with the BJP conducting a padayatra. We too had undertaken the ‘Ballari Chalo’ padayatra in the past,” he said.
Responding to a question on the Assembly proceedings being dominated by the issue concerning Nagendra while there had been little discussion on drought relief, Satish blamed the Opposition for not allowing a debate on the issue.
Meanwhile, School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa appealed to BJP legislators not to disrupt the session, saying such protests would prevent discussion on pressing issues. Speaking to reporters in Shivamogga, Madhu said the Opposition should raise questions on the floor of the House and allow the government to respond. “Criticism and counter-criticism should happen through debate in the House,” he said, adding that an allegation should not be treated as a proven offence and that legal action should follow the outcome of an inquiry.
Madhu also urged the Opposition to allow the Assembly to discuss the drought situation before the state formally sends its assessment to the Centre.
On complaints about the condition of government schools, Madhu said the government had allocated funds for repairs, new classrooms and toilets. He said the government had provided maintenance funds to government schools for the past three years and acknowledged that some schools still face problems.
On reports that many students had not received shoes, he said the distribution process was nearing completion and that the state had conducted a tender for the first time.
He said complaints over incorrect shoe sizes were being addressed and expressed confidence that the process would be completed by the end of the month.
