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Summary Three Karnataka ministers accused of watching porn video during assembly session have resigned.
Footage showed Laxman Savadi apparently watching a clip on a phone and sharing it with his colleague, CC Patil.The phones reported owner, Minister Krishna Palemar, has also quit.The trio denied watching pornography but said they were resigning to prevent embarrassment to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.There was public outrage after news channels ran the story on Tuesday evening, and opposition parties demanded the resignation of the ministers.The footage of the ministers was captured by news channels positioned in the media galleries during a debate in the state assembly.It shows Minister for Co-operation Laxman Savadi watching a clip on a mobile phone and then showing it to Minster for Women and Child Development, CC Patil.Why should I resign? Mr Savadi said on Tuesday. The video I watched was of a woman being raped by four people. It was not porn.He said he was watching the footage to prepare for a discussion [in the assembly] on the ill-effects of a rave party in the state recently.Mr Patil told reporters: We are not so uncivilised as to watch porn films.Correspondents say the incident has come as a major embarrassment for the ruling BJP government.The government has already been rocked by corruption scandals, leading to the resignation of former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, last year.
