India state ministers resign after being caught watching porn

Feb 8, 2012, 7:52 GMT

New Delhi - Three ministers in India's southern state of Karnataka resigned on Wednesday after being accused of watching pornography in the state assembly.

Local news broadcasts Tuesday showed Laxman Savadi intently watching the clip on a phone while his colleague CC Patil looked on. The phone's owner, another minister, Krishna Palemar, also quit.

The ministers denied watching pornography and said they had voluntarily resigned to prevent embarrassment to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

'The party has already ordered a probe into the matter. We hope to prove our innocence,' Patil, minister of women and child development, said.

On Tuesday, the ministers refused to resign Tuesday, saying they had watched a clip of a woman being raped by four men after a rave party to 'prepare for (an assembly) discussion on the ill-effects of a rave-party.'

Leaders from the Hindu nationalist BJP were left red-faced as the opposition Indian National Congress party, which rules at the federal level, demanded the ministers' arrest for the 'shameful' act.

Indians outraged over the porn scandal told local media that the incident had exposed the BJP, which is accused of moral policing in the state.

Hindu vigilante groups linked with the party have assaulted women drinking at bars for violating traditional values. BJP leaders also oppose Valentine's Day celebrations saying it threatens Indian culture and social norms.

'When the BJP which waxes eloquent on issues of morality, they should look at their ministers and they will find the answers there,' federal Telecoms Minister Kapil Sibal said.

Corporate Affairs Minister Veerappa Moily said the 'sleazegate' affair had shamed the political class.

'They have brought the entire democracy into shame. It will give an impression to the public that this is what politicians are doing,' he said.