The Karnataka Assembly on Tuesday descended into chaos after the BJP demanded the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the house during the debate on the Valmiki funds scam, arguing that the issue falls under the finance ministry, which Siddaramaiah oversees.
This demand sparked a fierce and personal confrontation between BJP and Congress lawmakers, devolving into a heated exchange of words and accusations.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar accused BJP MLA and former Minister CN Ashwath Narayan of being deeply involved in corruption.
“CN Ashwath Narayan is the mastermind behind corruption and scams. He has no moral ground to question us,” Shivakumar said.
In a sharp rebuttal, BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar accused the Congress government of being the “father of all scams and corruption,” alleging that the Congress had misappropriated funds meant for Dalits.
“You have embezzled funds meant for Dalits and are now blaming us,” Sunil Kumar retorted.
The pandemonium forced Speaker UT Khader to adjourn the proceedings for ten minutes.
Karnataka BJP President Vijayendra Yediyurappa further alleged that funds intended for the development of the Valmiki community were misused for election purposes. “Funds meant for the development of the Valmiki community have been misused for election purposes.
Money intended for Dalits’ upliftment has been diverted to their cronies,” Vijayendra told reporters.
The commotion in the Assembly came a day after Karnataka BJP leaders staged a protest march to the Vidhana Soudha, alleging widespread corruption.
The allegations center around the purported illegal transfer of funds from the Maharshi Valmiki ST Corporation, which is responsible for implementing welfare programs for scheduled tribe members.
Karnataka Tribal Affairs and Sports Minister B Nagendra is currently in custody until July 18, following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged scam.
The arrest followed raids on locations linked to Nagendra and Corporation Managing Director Basanagouda Daddal.
The corruption case came to light after an official of the Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation died by suicide, leaving a note that contained allegations of multi-crore corruption within the corporation.
