Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP MLA Munirathna Naidu, representing the Rajarajeshwarinagar (RR Nagar) constituency, was arrested by Bengaluru Police on Saturday night. The arrest stems from accusations of harassing a contractor and using casteist slurs against members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. A local MP/MLA court remanded Munirathna to two days’ custody on Sunday, reported The Indian Express.
The Federal reported that Muniratna was allegedly trying to flee to Andhra Pradesh when the arrest happened.
Munirathna, who was previously a minister in the state government, is no stranger to controversy. His political career has been marked by multiple legal issues and allegations. Earlier in March 2023, he was booked for hate speech against Christians following a complaint by Kusuma H of the Congress. In this case, a gazetted officer had also accused him of inciting enmity among communities.
Further escalating tensions, the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association has been vocal against Munirathna, demanding his arrest in 2023 over alleged hate speech. D Kempanna, the association’s president, along with four office-bearers, were later arrested in a defamation case that Munirathna filed. Kempanna had implied that Munirathna was extorting officials, although he did not directly name the MLA.
Munirathna’s entry into politics began as a councillor from Yeshwanthpur, North Bangalore. He was first elected MLA in 2013 on a Congress ticket and re-elected in 2018. Amid the political turbulence of 2019, he switched to the BJP and secured a by-election victory, which eventually led to his appointment as the Minister of Horticulture and Planning.
However, his career has been clouded by several criminal allegations. In 2018, he was named in a fake bill scam involving the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), where it was alleged that civic works worth Rs 1,500 crore in multiple constituencies were fraudulently billed. Munirathna, at the time a Congress MLA, was the fourth accused in the chargesheet.
Additionally, Munirathna was involved in another major controversy in 2018, when nearly 9,800 voter IDs were discovered in an apartment in Jalahalli, leading to legal action against him and 13 others. The Karnataka High Court later ordered a re-examination of the chargesheets after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea highlighted investigative lapses.
Besides politics, Munirathna has dabbled in the film industry, producing notable movies, including the Rajnikanth-starrer Lingaa and a film featuring Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.
Despite his political and cinematic ventures, Munirathna’s association with contractors in Bengaluru has remained a subject of controversy. In 2010, he was linked to the BBMP wall collapse case, where a 17-year-old girl lost her life due to shoddy construction work.
Munirathna’s arrest once again places him in the spotlight, as questions arise over his conduct and alleged misuse of power. The developments are expected to reverberate through Karnataka’s political landscape ahead of the upcoming elections.
