PORN-GATE: Palemar, Savadi, Patil quit over blue film row

Mangalore, February 8: In an unprecedented development in Karnataka politics three prominent ministers in chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda led cabinet on Wednesday have quit over watching 'blue film' clippings on a cell phone during assembly proceedings in Legislative Assembly.

Yielding to the mounting pressure from within and outside the party Minister for Ecology, Environment and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Krishna J Palemar, Minister for Cooperation Laxman Savadi and Women and Child Welfare Minister C C Patil on Wednesday morning sent their resignation letters to the Chief Minister.

The three ministers formally announced after a meeting with top leaders that they have decided to quit. “We don't want the party and the government to face further embarrassment. All of us have decided to resign from the Ministry”, Mr. Savadi told reporters outside the BJP office.

Mr. Savadi and Mr. Patil demanded that the Speaker of the State Assembly K.G. Bopaiah institute a probe into the issue of watching the porno video footage and expressed confidence that “they would come clean from the allegations”.

Mr. Palemar said he was contemplating legal course over the issue.

Under the directions of BJP National President Nitin Gadkari, Mr. Gowda today held a meeting with the state unit Party President K.S. Eswarappa, former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, senior Ministers Jagadish Shettar and Govind Karjol in the party office and decided to ask the three ministers to put in their papers.

Speaking to the media persons, the Chief Minister said that all the three ministers had already sent their resignations to him. He had accepted their letters and forwarding them to Governor Bharadwaj to complete the formalities, he added.

Mr Gowda said that the ministers had maintained that they were innocent but quit on their own to avoid any further embarrassment to the party. An independent probe would bring out the truth, he added.

Mr Savadi was 'caught' by television cameras on Tuesday watching sexually explicit video on a cellphone inside the Assembly.

The footage showing Mr. Savadi watching the footage was shot by TV cameramen perched behind in the elevated media gallery. Mr. Savadi was sitting in the front row of the House. Less than an hour after the session concluded, TV channels beamed the uncensored visuals, each claiming the footage to be “exclusive.”

The channels also showed Minister for Ecology, Environment and Ports J. Krishna Palemar as well as Women and Child Welfare Minister C.C. Patil peeping into Mr. Savadi's phone and gesturing mirthfully.

Mr Savadi later revealed that the mobile on which he watched the sex video indeed belonged to Mr Palema. He also said that Mr. Palemar was showing him a video wherein a woman was gang-raped in a western country.

Speaking on behalf of the party, Yeddyurappa said the ministers have voluntarily tendered resignation on moral grounds and none of the party leaders including Nitin Gadkari had any role to play. "Inquiry will be conducted and soon truth will be out," Yeddyurappa said. Sources said that the party had decided last night itself to take their resignation, but was awaiting for Yeddyurappa to come back from tour of Bidar. All the three ministers are staunch followers of Yeddyurappa and were pitching for his comeback as the chief minister.

Opposition leader Siddaramaiah not only sought his resignation, but also urged the Speaker not to allow Savdi, Patil and Palemar to attend the assembly. Speaker K G Bopaiah has convened an emergency meeting of business advisory committee (BAC) involving leaders of ruling and opposition to discuss the conduct of the members.