Porn row: 3 Karnataka Ministers resign

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".

A TV grab of Minister for Cooperation Lakshman Savadi viewing a porn clip on his phone during the Assembly session at Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore on Tuesday. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

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.