Bengaluru: Barely 25 days after returning to the Karnataka Cabinet, Planning and Statistics Minister B. Nagendra quit his post  on Friday over allegations of involvement in the embezzlement of funds from the State-run Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited.

Nagendra announced his decision to step down at a press conference at Vidhana Soudha on Friday evening, after he met AICC General Secretary Nasir Hussein, Ministers Ajay Singh and Rizwan Arshad and the Chief Minister’s Political Secretary G.C. Chandrashekar at Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s official chamber in Vidhana Soudha.

Maintaining that  he had no role in the Valmiki Development Corporation scam, Nagendra said he resigned to avoid embarrassment to the Congress party and the Government. The Minister, with tears rolling down his eyes, also announced his decision to quit the membership of the Legislative Assembly and challenged the opposition BJP to face him in Ballari (Rural) ST-Reserved Constituency.

This is the second time Nagendra has resigned from the cabinet over the same issue. He had earlier resigned on June 6, 2024, a year after he became the Minister for ST Welfare, Youth Empowerment and Sports in the previous Siddaramaiah Government. The 4-time MLA from Ballari Rural Assembly segment is the first Minister to quit since D.K. Shivakumar took over as the Chief Minister on June 3, 2026. Nagendra was re-inducted into the cabinet on Aug.3.

Nagendra decided to step down after Shivakumar met top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other senior party leaders in Delhi. Nagendra had also visited the national capital and is understood to have decided to resign after he held discussions with the party’s central leadership.

The Opposition BJP had mounted pressure on the Government seeking Nagendra’s resignation during the recent Monsoon Session of the State Legislature.

The BJP had boycotted most of the session and announced a ‘Ballari Chalo’ padayatra starting from Sept.1 seeking the resignation or sacking of Nagendra.