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.”