Karnataka Congress MLC, Prakash Rathod, is facing widespread ridicule after he was caught watching porn inside the state assembly. The lawmaker has, however, denied the allegation. Visuals of Rathod scrolling through pornographic content inside the legislative council during the session were broadcast by local TV channels.
“I was not watching any objectionable video, I was trying to get messages regarding question I asked in Karnataka Legislative Council to a Minister. Storage in my phone was full, so I was deleting some messages,” news agency ANI quoted Rathod as saying.
In 2012, Minister for Cooperation Laxman Savadi was caught watching pornography on his mobile phone while the Assembly was in session. Also joining him were Minister for Ecology, Environment and Ports J Krishna Palemar and Women and Child Welfare Minister CC Patil.
All three had to resign from the cabinet after national outrage left the saffron party embarrassed. Six years later, the same party has now decided to field two of them as its candidates once again. Palemar had lost his Mangalore City North seat to Congress’ Mohiuddin Bava in the 2013 assembly polls.
An MLC from Karnataka had become a topic of intense media conversation after he posted over 50 porn images on a WhatsApp group that had several MLAs, councillors and senior officers as its members. BJP MLC Mahantesh Kavatagimath had posted the porn images on a group called, “Belagavi media force.”