The Opposition Congress and Janata Dal (S) on Tuesday condemned Cooperation Minister Laxman Savadi and two other Ministers C.C. Patil and J. Krishna Palemar for allegedly watching sleazy videos on a mobile phone during the Assembly session.
Both the Congress and the JD(S) demanded the resignation of the Ministers and urged Speaker K.G. Bopaiah to expel them from the House for violating the rules.
JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said his party would decide on its next course action on the “shocking incident” on Wednesday. “It is a black mark in the history of the Legislative Assembly,” he said.
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Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda should seek the resignation of the Ministers and the Speaker should expel them from the House, he said.
Mr. Kumaraswamy sought to know what the stand of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS), which preaches cultural values to society, would be.
Describing the incident as shameful and an insult to democratic values, JD(S) spokesperson Y.S.V. Datta, MLC, said the party would raise the issue in the Legislative Council too. “JD(S) members will fight till the Ministers tenders their resignation,” he added.
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Reacting to television visuals showing the Ministers watching the video clips, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah described them as “characterless” people.
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Motamma urged Mr. Gowda to quit and seek a fresh mandate from the people, as the BJP Government was notorious for having Ministers such as M.P. Renukacharya and H. Halappa.