New Delhi: In a huge embarrassment to the BJP government in Karnataka, two ministers were allegedly caught on TV camera watching porn on mobile phone during assembly proceedings in the first such ugly incident in the state’s legislative history.
A regional TV channel aired the footage of Minister for Cooperation Laxman Savadi and Minister for Women and Child Development CC Patil watching the allegedly porn clippings when the assembly was debating the issue of hoisting of Pakistan national flag in a town in Bijapur district on the New Year’s day.
BJP ministers caught watching assembly in Karnataka assembly.
The footage telecast also by some regional channels after the assembly adjourned for the day, showed Savadi watching the video and later joined by Patil for a brief while. Savadi admitted to watching the porn footage but ruled
out resigning from the ministry.
The two ministers claimed it wasn’t porn “but some real-life incidents caught on camera in Gulf countries”.
Karnataka Chief Minister Sadanand Gowda said, “It’s for the Speaker to take action against ministers if they were found guilty of watching porno clippings in the Assembly.”
Savadi, however, tried to explain it as value addition for a discussion on the rave parties that happened during a tourism festival in coastal Karnataka.
“Yes it is like a blue film. It was on Minister for Ports Krishna Palemar’s mobile. The video clippings had women dancing and they were raped by four men. Palemar told me such things happen abroad in rave parties. Since the House was discussing the Malpe rave party, I watched it,” Savadi told reporters.
“I have done nothing wrong and I will not resign. I was watching a foreign rave party scene sent by one of my colleague minister Krishna. I did it to understand what rave party means,” Savadi said.
On the Opposition Congress and JDS demanding his resignation, he said, “No question of resigning. Such thought is not on my mind.”
The incident comes even as the government is battling the attack over the recent party held by foreigners in Malpe beach in Udupi district during a government-sponsored tourism festival.
BJP President Nitin Gadkari last night spoke to Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda on the issue as well. Sources close to Gadkari said he also spoke to the party’s state unit chief K S Eswarappa on the incident. Gadkari, who is on campaign trail in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, wanted to know from both Gowda and Eswarappa the details about the incident.
Meanwhile a Kannada outfit taged demonstrations in front of Savadi’s and Patil’s house and demanded their resignation. Protesters in hundreds took to the streets raising slogans “Down Down BJP government” in Shimoga, Mysore, Raichur and Belgaum among other places,reports said.
Legislative Council Chairman D H Shankaramurthy said “it is disgraceful. This should not have happened.”
Security has been tightened at the houses of legislators and ministers in the wake of protest calls given by various political organisations tomorrow, he said.
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Agencies
