Announcing their resignation, Ministers Lakshman Savadi and C.C. Patil demanded that the Speaker institute a probe into the issue and expressed confidence that "they would come clean from the allegations".
The three Ministers in the BJP Government in Karnataka, who were caught watching pornography on a mobile phone during the Assembly proceedings, resigned early on Wednesday morning.
Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda said Minister for Co-operation Lakshman Savadi, Minister for Women and Child Development C.C. Patil and Minister for Ports and Environment Krishna Palemar had submitted their resignations "voluntarily".
The resignations, which were forwarded to Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, have been accepted.
The resignations come after widespread public outrage over television visuals showed the three Ministers watching pornographic video clippings during the Assembly session on Tuesday.
A meeting of the senior BJP leaders in the State including Mr. Gowda and former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa was held early on Wednesday, where a decision was taken to ask the three Ministers to resign forthwith.
Mr. Savadi told reporters that the three Ministers had submitted their resignations voluntarily to save the BJP Government in the State from embarrassment. He urged Speaker K.G. Bopaiah to order an inquiry into the episode and expressed confidence that they will come out unscathed.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress and JD (S) said the resignations of the three Ministers is not enough. The Speaker should disqualify the former Ministers from the Assembly, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah said.
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To a question, Savadi said they are quitting voluntarily and there was no pressure on them to do so.
Mr. Palemar said he did not know how to pass on such clips and that his innocence would be proved in an inquiry. “When there is an allegation, it’s not correct to continue as Minister”, he said. “There is a wrong perception (on the issue) and let there be an inquiry“.
In a bizarre defence, Mr. Savadi had on Tuesday night said the clip showed some men dancing with a woman and then gang-raping her. The rapists were later arrested by the police and then stoned in public, Mr. Savadi said, adding, he was watching it in the context of a discussion on “rave party” (in an island off Udupi) earlier in the Legislative Council.
I am not shocked about the news of BJP party guys watching porn! what makes me more surprise is that when people spit at these porn watchers some guys raise voice as if it is their human rights! let it be their human rights. let us defend it too! But....Hi friends, these legislator guys are elected by the people for a purpose... to go to the assembly and find some solutions to the problem of the people. if a cricket player is wounded the entire country feels sorry about it. If a cinema hero meets with an accident the country feels sorry. If a popular heroine is insulted by a foreign TV anchor person during interview the country aggressively shouts with anger. But India is the only country where more than one and half a lakh of farmers committed suicide due to poverty and inability to carry on farming operations. The 'human rights defenders' who support the 'right to watch porn' in ASSEMBLY do not see the victims outside the assembly...
With all due respect, no one is curtailing the peoples' right to watch porn, what the people here are agitating against is merely the fact that these ministers were watching porn during assembly proceedings. They have full permission to view porn in the confines of their homes or offices or cars or even in the assembly when there are no proceedings going on. But, not during the assembly proceedings when they should be taking active part in the governance.And this stands not just for porn but other entertainment means too.
If you start discussing the good and bad of it the people who developed
internet and who now allow porn to be an industry are all guilty. We
have to go back to where it started and frame laws in all countries
against porn in any form and punishments to those who violate them. This
event has shown that we are born with the ability to differentiate the
good from evil and we should always go with the good and stop all evil.
Why the hell we want to prosecute people for viewing porn. Where is the freedom and justice in this country.I myself hate to watch hard porn, but that does not mean the right to view porn should be curtailed. This is absolute hypocrisy on part of Indian media/society.
How does this make a difference if the person was watching a porn or a comedy or a action movie. Our only concern should be that he was watching a video, while in office(assembly) and was whiling away important office time. The person should be punsihed only for laxity in office and not for watching porn.
I have serious concern about this stupid IT act too. Why the hell in this world should IT act intefere with distribution of porn material. Why the hell does this Govt/law wants to do moral policing. At best it can lay down guidelines or frame laws to disallow and prohibit children viewing porn, but it has "absolutely" no business in wanting to control what people want to do with porn including distributing it.
Where is Pramod Muthalik and his sri rama sena who manhandled a couple in mysore on valentine day? Ok I am not supporter of valentine day either, but this Muthalik should now storm the Malleswaram office of the useless BJP. Editor Hindu please highlight this issue if you are really neutral.
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