Nagendra cleared by probe, woman minister induction soon: Karnataka CM Shivakumar
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday, August 26, defended his decision to include B Nagendra in the state Cabinet. He said an official inquiry had cleared him of any involvement in the alleged Valmiki Corporation scam, and indicated that a woman minister would be inducted into the government within the next few days.
Speaking at an interaction during the India Today Roundtable, Shivakumar addressed the controversy surrounding Nagendra's alleged role in the Rs 89 crore Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam. He explained that Nagendra had stepped down earlier following internal discussions within the government, but was subsequently brought back into the Cabinet after an official probe found no evidence linking him to the irregularities. The CM maintained that Nagendra was not responsible for the scam and noted that roughly 95 per cent of the misappropriated funds had since been recovered during the investigation.
On the composition of his Cabinet, Shivakumar reaffirmed his government's commitment to inducting a woman minister soon, describing it as being in line with the Congress party's broader commitment to women's empowerment. He recalled that when he expanded his Cabinet on August 3, roughly two months into his tenure as chief minister, 19 ministers were sworn in. Even though the party had originally cleared 20 names, including that of MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda, her induction, however, was dropped at the last minute over an unspecified issue. With 33 ministers currently serving against a sanctioned strength of 34, Shivakumar indicated the sole remaining vacancy is likely to go to a woman legislator "in the next couple of days."
Describing himself as a "man in a hurry," Shivakumar said his focus remained on delivering effective governance before the next Assembly election and setting a governance benchmark for the Congress nationally. On the question of internal party pressure over ministerial berths and board appointments, he downplayed any friction, noting that while many leaders were capable of holding such positions, a 15 per cent cap on Cabinet size limited how many could actually be accommodated. He also dismissed suggestions of factionalism within the state unit, asserting that the party functioned as a single, united "Congress camp" rather than being split between rival leaders, including former chief minister Siddaramaiah.
On Centre-state relations, Shivakumar accused the Union government of discriminating against southern states and voiced opposition to any increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats through delimitation, warning it could dilute the political voice of South India. He said Tamil Nadu and Kerala shared this concern. On the long-pending Cauvery water dispute, he reiterated that Karnataka would comply with the Supreme Court's directions on water release to Tamil Nadu, and described the proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project as primarily benefiting Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru's drinking water requirements. Separately, he criticised the BJP-led Centre for not releasing the Rs 5,400 crore promised for the Upper Bhadra lift irrigation project in the 2022-23 Union Budget.
On Bengaluru's infrastructure challenges, Shivakumar said the state government was pursuing an ambitious tunnel and flyover programme, roughly 150 km of flyovers and 47 km of tunnels, to ease the city's traffic congestion. Addressing criticism over the city's pothole problem, he pointed to Bengaluru's scale, home to about 1.4 crore people and 1.35 crore vehicles, and said nearly 60 per cent of the city's roads had already been concretised. He also outlined plans to set up 10,000 Bharat Jodo youth clubs across Karnataka aimed at engaging young people in sports, culture and social activities while steering them away from substance abuse.
On allegations of minority appeasement, Shivakumar said the Congress government's approach was rooted in protecting all communities equally. Regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, he expressed disagreement with the process but said the state would ensure no eligible resident lost their voting rights, including by facilitating access to residential, caste and income certificates to establish eligibility.
Looking ahead, Shivakumar expressed confidence that the Congress would return to power in Karnataka with a stronger mandate in the 2028 Assembly election, and predicted the party would win 20 Lok Sabha seats from the state in 2029, with Rahul Gandhi eventually becoming prime minister. The Congress currently holds 135 seats in the Karnataka Assembly and nine Lok Sabha seats from the state.
(With inputs from PTI)
