Political parties and organisations staged dharnas here on Wednesday against the conduct of former ministers Laxman Savadi, C.C. Patil and Krishna Palemar who were caught watching pornographic clippings in the Legislative Assembly by television news channels on February 7.
Speaking at a dharna organised by the district unit of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), writer G. Rajashekhar said that in a liberal society, people could watch pornography. But the three Ministers were watching it in the Legislative Assembly, where the problems of the State were debated.
The conduct of the three Ministers was more stunning as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had appointed itself as the sole guardian of Hindu culture and morality. When college-going boys and girls went together to have a cup of coffee or when college students visited pubs, the goons of the Sangh Parivar beat them up. After such moral policing, the act of the Ministers was untenable.
It was not enough if they had resigned as ministers, they should resign as MLAs as well. If Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda had any sense of self-respect, he should tender his resignation and recommend the dissolution of the Assembly.
Members of the youth wing of Janata Dal (Secular) burnt the effigies of the three Ministers at Hiriyadka near Udupi.
Party leader Vasudeva Rao said the BJP had come to power in the name of Hindutva and Lord Ram. But by their disgusting conduct, the Ministers had brought a bad name to the State. They should resign as MLAs and criminal cases should be booked against them, he said.
Members of the Udupi Zilla Nagarika Samiti took out a procession and staged a dharna near the Service Bus-stand.
General secretary of the samiti Nityananda Volakadu said that the behaviour of the three Ministers was a blot on the country.
