Thaindian News

Bangalore, Feb 29 (IANS) An inquiry into three Karnataka ministers allegedly viewing porn in the assembly has been reduced to a ruling Bharatiya Janata Party affair with opposition parties continuing to boycott the probe panel.

The Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular Wednesday stayed away from the second meeting of the assembly committee set up to investigate the action of the three ministers — Laxman Savadi, C.C. Patil and J. Krishna Palemar — that has created a political bombshell.

Savadi and Patil were caught by private TV channels viewing a porn clip in the assembly Feb 7 on a cell phone. The two said the cell phone belonged to Palemar. The three quit the ministry the next day following a public outcry.

Assembly Speaker K.G. Bopaiah, rejecting Congress and JD-S demand that the three ministers be disqualified as legislators, set up a seven-member house panel to probe the incident.

He named four legislators from the ruling BJP, two from the Congress and one from the JD-S as members and directed the panel to give its findings by March 13.

However, the Congress and JD-S members are boycotting the panel meetings, reducing it to a BJP show.

BJP legislator Srishailappa Bidarur, named to head the panel, told reporters after Wednesday’s meeting that the four members discussed issues to be considered by the panel. They also heard representatives of Kannada TV channels which had telecast the clippings.

Savadi, Patil and Palemar have denied the clip was a porn film. Their replies to the speaker’s notice have been kept under wraps.

Bidarur said the panel will Thursday study the replies and decide on summoning Savadi, Patil and Palemar to appear before it.