BJP red-faced after porn charges against ministers

Allahabad/New Delhi:  The top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been quick to distance itself from three Karnataka ministers allegedly caught watching pornographic clips inside the state legislature, terming the incident unfortunate and promising punitive action.

Even as the tainted trio claimed they had resigned voluntarily and Karnataka chief minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda affirmed they had stepped down of their own accord, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari insisted yesterday it was the party that had initiated action against them.

Talking to reporters in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh amid the first phase of assembly elections in the state, Gadkari sought to clear all doubt about the party's stand on the issue.

"First of all they said they are innocent. We said resign immediately and an inquiry will be done," he said. "It is unfortunate."

Asserting that the party had taken the moral high ground, Gadkari said he had also instructed Gowda on the need for immediate action. He however sought to highlight a general deterioration in society. "There is deterioration in every sector, whether it is the media, or administration, or society. It is a matter of concern," he said.

Claims of innocence

Senior party leader Arun Jaitley said there was a sense of remorse in the party following the incident. "We have a deep sense of regret that any of our members should be involved, unlike what happened in the Raj Bhavan [governor's residence] in Hyderabad, or in Rajasthan, we have taken the responsibility," he said in Shahjahanpur.

The reference was to former Andhra Pradesh governor N.D. Tiwari being caught in a sex scandal and sacked Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna allegedly featuring in a sleazy video.

The three Karnataka ministers — Laxman Savadi, C.C. Patil and J. Krishna Palemar — resigned yesterday, a day after two of them were apparently caught watching porn on Palemar's phone in the state assembly. The opposition is clamouring for their expulsion from the legislature.

All three however claimed they have done no wrong and maintain that a probe will prove their innocence.

BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman also hit out at the Congress for trying to play the moral police.

"Congress has much to explain about when the Raj Bhavan was misused, how can they be the moral police," she asked while speaking to a news channel. "The ministers have submitted their resignation and submitted to a probe by the competent authorities."