Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 29 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Saturday that Minister B Nagendra has submitted his resignation to avoid embarrassment to the Congress party, and a final decision on the resignation will be taken after discussions with the party high command.
"Minister Nagendra has submitted his resignation to avoid embarrassment to the party. After discussing with the party high command, a final decision will be taken tomorrow morning," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to the media at Ravindra Kalakshetra, Shivakumar said Nagendra submitted his resignation after being hurt by "false allegations" levelled by the Opposition and the disruption of Assembly proceedings.
CM Shivakumar added that "Nagendra has submitted his resignation letter, hurt by the false allegations by the opposition and the disruption being caused to the proceedings of the House."
He further accused the BJP of making allegations against Nagendra that were "far from the truth" and said the minister, "a Dalit and Scheduled Caste leader", had defeated senior BJP leaders in elections.
He said, "BJP in opposition is making false allegations with issues far from the truth. Nagendra, who is a Dalit and Scheduled Caste leader, has contested and won twice against senior leaders of BJP. For this reason, false allegations far from the truth are being levelled against him."
"Nagendra has proved today that he is always ready to sacrifice for the party. I am confident that he will soon come out clean from these allegations in the investigation," the Chief Minister added.
On the resignation, Shivakumar said the matter would be examined within the legal framework and that further action would be taken after obtaining legal advice.
"Though Nagendra has handed over his resignation letter, it will be brought to the notice of the Congress high command in Delhi, and after discussing with them, a final decision will be taken," he said.
Reacting to whether Nagendra's resignation amounted to a victory for the BJP and JD(S), Shivakumar said, "Those who have made lies their house deity cannot have victory."
He also alleged that the Opposition had deliberately disrupted proceedings despite being invited for a proper discussion in the House.
He said, "Even after inviting them to give notice and hold a proper discussion in the House, the opposition did not come for discussion and disrupted proceedings only with political malafide intention."
Earlier, speaking at Ravindra Kalakshetra, Shivakumar said the state government had not bowed to pressure from the Opposition.
"Nagendra is innocent. After verifying the investigation reports and after discussion, it is known that there is no truth in the allegations against him," he said, adding that the manner in which the BJP had treated a Dalit leader had hurt the wider poor population. (ANI)
Nagendra resigns to avoid embarrassment to party; final decision tomorrow: Karnataka CM Shivakumar
