Shivamogga, 3 Sept  

Bhovi Development Corporation Chairperson S Ravi Kumar said he will resign in the wake of corruption allegations against him.

However, Kumar denied the charges and alleged that there was a conspiracy against him, which had been conveyed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.  

 “I told him that it was a conspiracy against me. I will resign to avoid embarrassment to the government and the party,” Kumar said on Wednesday in Shivamogga.

Leader of the Bhovi community, Venkatesh Mourya, had recently released a video which purports to show a conversation between Kumar and a woman broker regarding commission from the money given to beneficiaries of the corporation. The woman says she collected money from beneficiaries and hands it over to Kumar. 

Kumar denounced the clip and alleged that AI had been used to distort certain facts. 

Claiming that all work in the Corporation was carried out transparently, he demanded a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

The incident has revived memories of the earlier Valmiki Nigam scam, in which Minister B. Nagendra had resigned following allegations of illegal money transfers.