Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada district BJP president Sathish Kumpala Wednesday accused the Congress govt in Karnataka of functioning as an “ATM” for the party’s central leadership and alleged that the Siddaramaiah govt’s three-year rule was marked by corruption and scams.Citing the alleged Rs 187-crore Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam, Kumpala questioned the decision to induct former minister B Nagendra back into the cabinet despite the allegations against him.Kumpala said Nagendra had resigned as minister following the scam and was later arrested, with the Enforcement Directorate also referring to the case.He questioned chief minister DK Shivakumar’s earlier remarks on a corruption-free state and strict action against officials involved in corruption. Despite those assurances, Kumpala said, a person facing such serious corruption allegations had been brought back into the cabinet, sending the wrong message to the public.Kumpala announced that BJP and JD(S) legislators would raise the issue in the assembly and legislative council from Thursday, when the legislature session begins, and demand Nagendra’s resignation.He said the agitation would continue until the resignation and that protests were planned outside the legislature and at district headquarters, as directed by the state command.Responding to a question on similar inductions during the BJP regime, Kumpala said those facing allegations had first resigned and were inducted into the cabinet only after winning again in the polls.He also accused the govt of reducing benefits under guarantee schemes and removing more than 18.5 lakh pension beneficiaries.Kumpala said the BJP in Dakshina Kannada was also planning protests against the state govt over alleged corruption and “anti-people” policies.On the BJP’s Tiranga Yatra campaign, he said it would be held in all eight assembly constituencies of Dakshina Kannada. The Tiranga Yatra was organised in Puttur on Aug 7 and in the Mangaluru assembly constituency Tuesday. Programmes were held in Mangaluru South and Sullia Wednesday, while Bantwal is scheduled for Thursday. Events in Mangaluru North, Moodubidire and Belthangady are planned for Aug 15, he added.
