Sex Video : Three Karnataka Ministers Resign, Face Enquiry
Updates: Feb 8, 2012 - 9.00am
Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Feb 8: Assembly sessions are convened to do serious business aimed at attaining progress of the state and attending to the welfare of the people. But, three ministers in the state government were seen watching vulgar dances and sex scenes in mobile phone. Their behaviour was recorded by television cameras, and the ministers, who tried to claim that they had never done so, had to resign today morning after the high command stepped in and blew the whistle.
Laxman Savadi, CC Patil and Krishna Palemar
Ministers, Laxman Savadi, C C Patil, and Krishna Palemar, resigned today after they were told in no uncertain terms by the national leaders that their action was not fit of their approval. The high command, it appears, is in a hurry not to allow the party’s image to suffer further because of this episode.
The incident occurred when opposition leader, Siddaramaiah, was taking the government to task for failing to take proper action in the case of hoisting of Pakistani flag at Sidhagi, and was deriding Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for its role in this episode, when the incident occurred. Chief Minister, Sadananda Gowda, and minister, Suresh Kumar, who is also the leader of the house, were not present when the incident occurred.
When BJP ministers and MLAs joined together to pounce upon Siddaramaiah and deride him for passing strong comments against the party regime, when minister for cooperation, Laxman Savadi, and minister for child and women welfare, C C Patil, continued to be busy watching the mobile, as if they were unconcerned about the proceedings of the house. Savadi had hidden the mobile phone inside a file and was watching the scenes, and C C Patil, who was seated by his side, was seen peeping into the mobile frequently to enjoy what was going on.
Immediately television channels beamed the scenes, an outrage against ministers swept across the state. A call for Athani bandh was given. Athavni is the constituency represented by Laxman Savadi. The opposition leaders also jumped into action, criticizing the ministers vociferously for their immoral act, and demanding their resignations. It is understood that national president of BJP, Nitin Gadkari, passed on instructions for the resignations of these ministers.
The party had also come under criticism a day earlier for allowing rave party at St Mary’s Island off Malpe near Udupi in the name of cultural festival aimed at attracting tourists.
All the three ministers claimed that they had done nothing wrong, but were resigning in order to save the party from blushes, as the media and opposition parties are engaged in slanderous campaign against them. They requested Chioef Minister, Sadananda Gowda, state president of BJP, K S Eshwarappa, and leaders, Basavaraja Bommai and Jagadish Shettar, to accept their resignations. They have also appealed to the assembly speaker to conduct an inquiry into the incident, and expressed confidence of coming out clean.
Savadi said that minister Krishna Palemar, who received a MMS relating to a rape which happened in a foreign country, handed over to him. He said the scene depicted raping of a Muslim lady by four youth, and murdering her later. The police and public together catch hold of the guilty and hang them in the scene, he said. He said there was no mistake in watching the scene, as it looked like the ones which occurred at Udupi. He said he is not that dumb watch blue film when the assembly was in session. He however, feigned ignorance about details about the sender or website from which the scene was downloaded.
In the meanwhile, Palemar said the mobile does not belong to him. He asserted that his mobile phone never receives any scenes explained above. He also said he had never discussed about the happenings in St Mary’s Island with Laxman Savadi as claimed by the latter during his press conference at his home. He said he was under pressure not to resign, but had volunteered to leave, to ensure that his party does not feel awkward in this case.
All the three ministers sent in their resignations by fax to the speaker and Chief Minister.
In the past, there had been incidents in which legislators were warned against using mobile phones inside the house.
It will be interesting to watch the fall out of this incident on the state government and BJP as a whole in the state, as Sangh Parivar is expected to intervene in the matter.
The Chief Minister, speaking to press persons, informed that three of his ministers have resigned voluntarily without being under any pressure, as they apprehended that the opposition will use the above incident as a political weapon. He said he is forwarding the resignations to the Governor for acceptance. He added that the ministers are confident of coming out unscathed, and that they had clarified to him that they had resigned on moral grounds.
K S Eshwarappa termed the resignations as unfortunate, and expressed confidence that the ministers will be able to prove themselves right.
Earlier:
Bangalore: BJP Ministers Caught Watching Porn Film in Assembly!
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Feb 7: In a shocking incident, which is perhaps unprecedented in Indian parliamentary history, Karnataka’s Cooperation Minister Laxman Savadi has been caught red-handed watching porn or blue film clips on mobile handset inside the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
As Kannada television channels, which are covering the proceedings in the State legislature, and had caught the minister watching the sex film clips from his seat in the House, the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists staged protests in different parts of the city and also demanded the sacking of the of the minister for conduct unbecoming of a minister on the floor of the legislature.
The Kannada Rakshna Vedike leaders have announced that they would be staging protests against the minister for his unparliamentary conduct on the floor of the House.
Opposition Congress leaders, including former minister Basavaraja Rayareddy and Congress MLA N L Narendra Babu, have demanded that the minister should be sacked forthwith. Incidentally, Rayareddy went to the extent of the demanding the resignation of Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and the dissolution of the state assembly to facilitate fresh assembly polls on the ground that the ruling BJP had lost its moral right to continue in power.
Meanwhile, Cooperation Minister Laxman Savadi, answering questions from the reporters during a news conference, clarified that he was not watching sex or porn clips inside the House.
In fact, he explained that he had participated in the State Legislative Council during the entire day, which discussed the controversial Rave Party held in St Mary’s Islands, off the temple city of Udupi, and later attended the legislative assembly in the evening.
Pointing out that he discussed with the State Ports and Fisheries Minister Krishna J Palemar, who is also the Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister, to ascertain the facts regarding the St Mary’s Island Rave Party, and was informed by Palemar that he had received clips on his (Palemar’s) mobile regarding the forcible rapes of four women in a ''foreign country” and subsequent killing.
''I did watch the clip on (Palemar’s) mobile. The mobile in question does not belong to me and you can check my mobile,” he told reporters during the press conference at his residence.
Answering questions, Savadi said he was fully aware of the fact that talking on the mobile when the House was in session is wrong. ''But I did not talk on the phone. I had watched the clips (on Palemar’s) mobile handset. I have not done anything wrong. Why should I resign?,” he asked.
Savadi claimed that Women and Child Welfare Minister C C Patil, who was sitting near him, had also watched the clips on Palemar’s mobile. He also contended that he was not watching any porn or blue film clips inside the House.
Meanwhile, State BJP President K S Eshwarappa, who is also a member of the House, said he had seen the Kannada TV reports and had already apprised the party high command about the developments. He declined to comment on whether Savadi would be asked to put in his papers and said: ''It is upto the Minister, the Chief Minister and the party high command to take a decision.”
PTI Adds:
The Ministers' alleged act was captured by video cameras of a regional TV channel, covering the assembly proceedings, and the footage was aired on some channels after the House adjourned for the day.
The legislature secretariat allows private regional channels besides Doordarshan to telecast the proceedings.
The two ministers watched the 'sleaze' clippings while the house was debating the issue of hoisting of Pakistani flag in Sindgi town of Bijapur district by suspected right wing Sri Rama Sene activists and also the communal tension that gripped Uppinangadi during the recent Hindu Samajotsava celebrations.
Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda is currently touring Chikmagalur district while both the ministers were unavailable for their reaction.
Former chief minister and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy condemned the Ministers' act and described it as a "black mark" in the history of the state Assembly.