Embarrassed at porn watching legislators, House to check private channel coverage

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has given its assent to the Union government to have a government TV channel to cover the proceedings of the Assembly and Council, on the lines of the Lok Sabha model.

This is seen as a move at regulating the entry of private news channels for live coverage of proceedings. Confirming this to Deccan Chronicle, State Legislative Assembly Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa said he had received a letter from the Information and Public Relations Ministry seeking his opinion on starting a government television channel for live coverage of the proceedings.

"I have given my acceptance to the ministry concerned and forwarded the same to Karnataka Information and Public Relations ministry for follow up".

In fact, the proposal to have a government channel for the live coverage of the proceedings of Assembly and Council was mooted by the previous BJP government after three BJP MLAs were caught watching porn on their mobile phone when D.V. Sadananda Gowda was the Chief Minister.

Recently at the Belagavi session, BJP Aurad MLA, Prabhu Chavan, was caught by television cameras zooming into a photo of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on his mobile phone, when the Assembly was seriously debating the problems of sugarcane growers.

This had resulted in one-day suspension of Mr Chavan after he tendered his apology for using his mobile phone in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, confusion prevails over the coverage of the proceedings of the State Legislature by a government channel. While the Minister for Information, Infrastructure and Haj R Roshan Baig hinted at starting this from the coming budget session, Mr Thimmappa has his own doubts.