Forced to quit on graft charges, Karnataka minister Nagendra has a chequered past

The Congress government in Karnataka led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been shaken by the resignation of B Nagendra, the first minister to quit over corruption charges. This is not the first time the disgraced politician has been linked to illegalities.

His exit follows a multi-crore scam involving the Maharshi Valmiki Development Corp that led to the suicide of an officer, P Chandrasekharan, due to the illegal transfer of Rs 90 crore of its funds.

Illegal money transfer

The illicit transfer of money from the nationalised Union Bank led the bank to file a case with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The scandal gained further traction when the CBI took up the case. Pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) increased.

Amid all this, Siddaramaiah sought Nagendra's resignation.

Although Nagendra's name was not mentioned in Chandrasekharan's suicide note, the six-page letter named several officials. Nagendra, the minister of the tribal welfare department, submitted his resignation on Thursday citing moral responsibility despite denying his involvement in the fraud.

Nagendra’s history

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested three officials and two close aides of Nagendra even as the CBI investigation is on.

Pleading anonymity, a minister in the Siddaramaiah government told The Federal that Nagendra, once involved in alleged illegal mining, was in touch with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana politicians. The money transferred from the Valmiki Tribal Development Corp is allegedly linked to a Telangana businessman. The CBI will again check his links with the arrested accused and people who have connections with a famous politician, the minister asserted.

Political chameleon

Nagendra’s political career has been turbulent, marked by affiliation with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. He later aligned with Janardhana Reddy and B Sriramulu as they rose to political prominence in Bellary district. Reddy's influence boosted Nagendra's political career, leading to his first electoral win from Kudligi in 2008 as a BJP candidate.

In 2013, he was re-elected as an independent. By 2018, he had returned to the Congress, contested from Ballari Rural, and defeated BJP's Sanna Fakirappa, a relative of Sriramulu, his former guide. In 2023, as Congress candidate, Nagendra again entered the fray and defeated BJP leader Sriramulu, earning him the position of the district in-charge minister.

Two arrests

Nagendra was arrested twice in 2011 and 2015. Siddaramaiah and his team fought against the illegal mining scam of the BJP government and its ministers, including Janardhana Reddy and Nagendra. But the latter joined the Congress and became an MLA again.

Nagendra’s close association with mining baron Janardhan Reddy during his tenure with the BJP had brought a lot of legal scrutiny. A special court in Bengaluru ordered criminal proceedings against Nagendra for the illegal sale of 22,282 tonnes of iron ore, which allegedly caused a Rs. 2.81 crore loss to the exchequer. In March 2012, Nagendra was imprisoned for 18 months for illegal iron ore transportation and sale.

Illegal exports

In 2015, the CBI arrested Nagendra in connection with the illegal exports of iron ore by Bangalore-based ILC Industries Ltd. from Belikeri port in North Kanara. These proceedings are currently on hold as the Karnataka High Court examines the statute of limitations on the alleged offences. This scrutiny has continued to haunt his political career.

The resignation of Nagendra highlights the enduring issues of corruption and illegal activities in the Congress government in Karnataka.

Senior political commentator C Rudrappa said Nagendra's resignation is a pivotal moment for the Siddaramaiah government. It poses major challenges to the Congress, more so since it came to power last year after a very vocal campaign against corruption in the previous BJP government.