Bengaluru: Left embarrassed by its ministers viewing porn in the Karnataka assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is reviving a three-year old plan for the legislature to have its own TV channel.
However, the government is promising that private TV channels will not be banned from telecasting proceedings in the assembly and the legislative council, at least immediately. Private TV channels are presently allowed to telecast live the legislature proceedings.
Ministers in the dock
On February 7, two ministers, Laxman Savadi and C.C. Patil, were caught by these channels viewing a porn clip on a cell phone which, the two said, belonged to another minister J. Krishna Palemar. The three quit the ministry the next day.
"We discussed whether the legislature can own its television channel like Lok Sabha," Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda told reporters after a meeting with Speaker K.G. Bopaiah and council Chairman D.H. Shankaramurthy here yesterday.
Officials of the two houses of the legislature and central government-run Doordarshan took part in the meeting.
"We have decided to study the issue (setting up of the channel) in detail," he said.
He said Bopaiah and Shankaramurthy will visit Delhi soon to discuss with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and parliament secretariat officials on the working of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV channels.
However, the government is promising that private TV channels will not be banned from telecasting proceedings in the assembly and the legislative council, at least immediately. Private TV channels are presently allowed to telecast live the legislature proceedings.
Ministers in the dock
On February 7, two ministers, Laxman Savadi and C.C. Patil, were caught by these channels viewing a porn clip on a cell phone which, the two said, belonged to another minister J. Krishna Palemar. The three quit the ministry the next day.
"We discussed whether the legislature can own its television channel like Lok Sabha," Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda told reporters after a meeting with Speaker K.G. Bopaiah and council Chairman D.H. Shankaramurthy here yesterday.
Officials of the two houses of the legislature and central government-run Doordarshan took part in the meeting.
"We have decided to study the issue (setting up of the channel) in detail," he said.
He said Bopaiah and Shankaramurthy will visit Delhi soon to discuss with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and parliament secretariat officials on the working of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV channels.
