Porn-in-House scandal: Day after,three Karnataka ministers quit

Congress and JD(S) effort to have them suspended,but the ministers have been temporarily barred from House.

Two Karnataka ministers caught viewing porn in the assembly resigned this morning,along with a third who allegedly supplied the material they were watching. The opposition Congress and JD(S) effort to have them suspended or disqualified failed,but the ministers have been temporarily barred from the house.

C C Patil and Laxman Savadi,who were caught by TV cameras looking at explicit pictures on Savadis cellphone during an ongoing debate in the house,quit along with Minister for Ports,Environment and Inland Transport Krishna Palemar who had,according to Patil and Savadi,supplied the material.

We dont want the party and the government to face further embarrassment. All of us have decided to resign, Palemar said.

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Amid chaotic shouting matches and repeated adjournments,the opposition pressed Speaker K G Bopaiah to disqualify the trio from the assembly. BJP members argued that disqualification must be preceded by an inquiry and a weeks notice.

In the afternoon,Bopaiah,who has been under pressure from the opposition to act in line with his October 2010 order disqualifying 11 BJP rebels overnight for withdrawing support to the government,announced that the three ministers would be barred from the assembly until a six-member house inquiry committee submits its report on March 12.

The speaker said the MLAs must give an explanation by February 13,which would be placed before the panel. The session was adjourned sine die,two days ahead of its scheduled closure on February 10.

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