The Congress government was playing politics with the chief minister and Deputy CM posts while the state suffered through fuel and milk price hikes and scams in government departments, BJP state party president BY Vijayendra said on Friday.

The saffron party held statewide demonstrations at district collectors’ offices to protest the Valmiki Development Corporation scam, and demanded the CM resign, accusing him of “eating 80% of the funds.

” “If there was any decency, he should have resigned [after the scam],” leader of opposition R Ashoka said in a protest in Kolar.

The party, he added, would raise the demand in the assembly and fight to the end. The scam broke out after a Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) officer committed suicide over his seniors’ alleged corruption last month.

The officer, Chandrashekhar, 52, had alleged in his “death note” on Sunday that the funds up to Rs 187.33 crore had been allegedly transferred to various accounts following pressure by the managing director of the corporation.

He had also said that the orders were originally given by the department’s minister orally.

Karnataka’s tribal welfare and sports minister B Nagendra resigned earlier this month over the allegations.

The state BJP unit has been cornering the party demanding further action.

The party took to social media platform X, alleging that the Congress administration had a history of cheating the bottom and exploited communities.

“Just as pickpockets are ready to show their "hands" as soon as they see purses etc., the Congress too is on tiptoe to siphon off the grants meant for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes,” the party wrote.

The BJP claimed there was a bigger conspiracy behind the corporation’s alleged embezzlement, and alleged that during the Lok Sabha elections, hundreds of crores had been transferred to Telangana through a ‘fake’ bank account, with the tacit approval of Nagendra.

The party also attacked the government for the rise in prices of fuel and milk and the expected hike in liquor prices.

“I don't know how long Siddaramaiah will be CM…Farmers' distress has increased due to price hike.

People are fed up with Congress rule,” said Vijayendra.

The Congress regime is in the midst of a rumoured leadership crisis, with people from both chief minister Siddaramaiah’s camp and deputy CM DK Shivakumar’s faction angling to keep their leaders in power.

While Vokkaliga seer Swami Chandrashekara stirred up a storm on Thursday asking Siddaramaiah to resign in favour of his deputy from the community, ministers loyal to the CM have been seeking to increase the number of deputy CM posts to keep Shivakumar in check.