The heights of shame

The BJP government in Karnataka is all set to trigger a new controversy with Assembly speaker K.G. Bopaiah announcing his desire to launch a new state-owned television channel exclusively dedicated for covering the proceedings of both upper and lower houses of Karnataka legislature, just as the Loksabha and Rajyasabha channels that cover parliament proceedings.

Launching a new channel with the expenditure of over Rs. 25 crores, as revealed by the speaker himself, is being popularly read as banning private channels into assembly and council. The reason for this popular perception in this particular time is obvious: It was a private owned news channel and not the state owned one, which caught and telecast two ministers, Laxman Savadi and C C Patil, watching porn video clips on the smart-phone in the assembly session when serious issues were being discussed.
 
BJP leader Dhananjay Kumar uses all his communication skills to convince (read dupe) the people in support of barring private channels into Assembly and Council and launching a state owned one to air the proceedings of the houses. He gets irritated if somebody opposes the speaker’s move. He teaches how one should not question the prerogative of the speaker. And he points at the center how only Loksabha and Rajyasabha channels are allowed inside the parliament.
 
It is true that the Loksabha secretariat, two years ago, had suggested the state governments to look into the possibility of launching state owned TV channels along the line of Loksabha and Rajyasabha channels. Accordingly, a committee of legislators too was set up to look into the matter and it has already submitted its report. Sources in Vidhana Soudha say that the project would cost around Rs. 25 crores. However, neither the government nor the speaker gave it any attention till the Prongate scandal broke out. What does it sound? Aren’t they using center’s suggestion as shield to cover up their misdeeds, instead of being more alert, cautious and transparent?
 
We are in such a historical juncture in which majority of the Indian masses are increasingly demanding for more transparency and more accountability from their representatives. It is such a popular demand that compelled the successive governments to enact various progressive laws like Right to Information. It is the same such popular demand that is driving the young Indian generation to get mobilised behind Anna Hazare for a powerful Jan Lokpal bill. But, Karnataka government wants to be more opaque and unaccountable instead of becoming more transparent and accountable, quite contrarily to what people desire for and what is the course of the time.
 
Had there been sensible leaders in BJP, they would have first kicked all of those involved in the Porngate, including the Environment and Ports minister Krishna Palemar who sent the porn clips to Savadi’s mobile, out of both government and the party and admired the channel that effectively played its role as a fourth estate of democracy, instead of resorting to suppress the critics by attempting to impose ban on the entry of private cameras into the Assembly and Council. But, unfortunately we have such leaders who themselves are most corrupt and degenerated, who have shamelessly been backing the tainted ministers. Former chief minister B S Yaddyurappa, who has, by hook or by crook, been trying to be seated either on chief minister chair or on the chair of state BJP president, is backing them as they could in turn back him in his efforts get rehabilitated. On the other hand, even though the entire nation watched on TV screen what the tainted ministers were watching in Assembly, the BJP state president KS Eshwarappa says, “I am confident the three will come out clean after an enquiry."
 
When the Porngate broke out, all the three blue-boys shamelessly defended themselves initially. The minister of Co-operation Laxman Savadi said that he was watching video clip of gruesome rape and murder in a foreign country. And CC Patil, ironically being the Minister of Women and Child Welfare, said that he was just peeped and asked Savadi to switch off the mobile. The TV channels telecasted their claims on half screen and reaming half screen was dedicated to show what actually they were watching! The cock and bull stories would not withstand the consequent eruption of condemnation from each and every corner of the society and all the three had to ‘voluntarily’ resign from their minister posts. It is strange to see that everyone in the top brass of BJP, without exception, including those who have so far maintained the ‘clean image’ like Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister Suresh Kumar are not ready to consider the popular demand of dismissing the accused from the very membership of the houses.
 
Recently, I met one of the greatest Kannada writers, poets and the academicians and well respected intellectuals for an exclusive interview for TSI-Kannada. While having light-talk off the record on the various issues, I simply mentioned the Porngate episode. Even if being too old to talk, he took no time to angrily blast at the blue-boys and the people who are backing them. He just concluded with a loud-voiced “shameful”. It is a different matter that being a man of no controversy throughout his life, he consciously requested me not to mention his words in the interview.
 
Anyway, more shameful acts are awaited to be unfolded in the near future. The porn ministers are now mobilising the rallies and public gatherings to show their strength attempting to regain power. Krishna Palemar’s paid fans have already organised the public rally and demonstration in Mangalore. Savadi’s fans are going to organise a huge rally in his home town Athani with not less than 1 lakh people. The event was scheduled to be held on February 16, 2012. But, it had to be postponed due to the demise BJP’s brain and the higher education minister Dr. VS Acharya. Most of the ministers, MLAs and big leaders like former chief minister BS Yaddyurappa, party’s state president KS Eshwarappa and present chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda etc, will enthusiastically participate in the power-show and shamelessly display the unity. A unique unity for a cause!