Bengaluru, Nov 13 (IANS): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has stated that the matter of rejoining former minister B. Nagendra, imprisoned in the Rs 89.63 crore Maharshi Valmiki Tribal Welfare Board scam, will be reviewed after by-elections in the state.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah stated in Mysuru that this matter was discussed on Tuesday and will be reviewed after the elections.
Nagendra, former minister for ST Welfare, Youth Empowerment and Sports was arrested on July 12 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a sensational tribal welfare scam. Later, he was sent to judicial custody and released on bail recently after he spent three months in jail.
Reacting to the development, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated in Bengaluru: “Former Minister B. Nagendra clears charges in the Maharshi Valmiki Tribal Welfare Corporation scam and gets clean chit, there are possibilities of re-inducting him into the cabinet. Earlier, Minister for Energy K.J. George was taken into the cabinet after he was cleared of charges against him.”
“There are many instances of leaders coming out clean in the investigations. However, it is the prerogative of the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a call on taking former minister Nagendra into the cabinet,” Parameshwara stated.
He said that if Siddaramaiah agrees to take him back and former minister Nagendra gets clean chit, there are chances of his reinduction. “The court will have to give judgment that there is no involvement of Nagendra in the scam and clear charges on him. If it is done, naturally he will be taken back. What more is needed to prove that he is not guilty,” Parameshwara stated.
Former Minister B. Nagendra after his release from prison alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had harassed him.
Nagendra said that the BJP was conspiring to destabilise the elected governments in the country.
"I have committed no mistake in the Valmiki Tribal Welfare Board scam. Despite this, the ED officials arrested me and harassed me for three months," Nagendra claimed.
He further maintained that the sleuths had forced him to take the names of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
"This is being done due to the pressure from the senior BJP leaders. I had no role in the tribal welfare board scam. Despite the Special Investigation Team (SIT) clearly saying that there was no role, the central government and the BJP conspired," he charged.
The BJP has alleged Siddaramaiah’s role in the scam since he had “agreed” to the misappropriation of Rs 89.6 crore from the government body. The BJP is claiming that it is a scam involving Rs 187 crore and as Siddaramaiah holds the finance portfolio, his involvement is evident.
The ED has named B. Nagendra as the primary accused and mastermind in the alleged scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation.
“Nagendra allegedly orchestrated the scam with the help of 24 others, including key associates like Satyanarayana Varma, Etakari Satyanarayana, J.G. Padmanabha, Nageshwar Rao, Nekkunti Nagaraj, and Vijay Kumar Gowda,” the ED said in a statement.
However, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Congress government had given Nagendra a clean chit in the scam and not mentioned his name in the chargesheet.