Porn and Politics in India: What Worries the Citizens?

Three ministers in India resigned in connection with watching porn clips on a cell phone in a state assembly Tuesday.

The three ministers in country's Karnataka state offered their resignations after TV channels had aired footages of two of them watching porn clips in the assembly. The speaker barred them from attending the proceedings in the assembly till a House inquiry committee submits report on March 12.

Though sex scandals involving celebrities and sages are not new in India, yet the latest scandal comes as a stark revelation of the double standards of the politicians in the country.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in the state, has always served as a moral police in the state as well as in the whole of the country. Its leaders, especially those in the state, consider themselves custodians of moral culture and they always fight against the so-called western influences.

In 2009, the fundamentalist group turned a blind eye as the Sri Ram Sene, a right wing outfit, thrashed women at a Mangalore pub. Another group ideologically close to the BJP, the Sangh Parivar, has routinely targeted couples for celebrating the Valentine's Day.

On Jan. 1, members of the Sri Ram Sene, under BJP's silent approval, allegedly hoisted Pakistan's flag atop a government in the Sindagi town of north Karnataka. It has been alleged that the purpose was to spark communal outrage against the Muslim majority in that area by holding them accountable for the act.

A week earlier, the BJP took a severe beating over the use of drugs and alcohol by foreigners who were found engaged in obscene activities in a rave party at Udupi in the state. Udupi is a stronghold for the BJP and a pilgrim centre for many Indians.

In light of the recent porn scandal, people appear to have lost faith in the ruling party which apparently does not practice what it preaches.

Out of the three ministers in question, CC Patil is ironically the minister of Women and Child Development. Despite the clear evidence, Patil believes the imminent investigation will prove him innocent.

The BJP was quick in its damage control efforts. It was honorable of the ministers to resign as they are already being treated like criminals, Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda said in a statement.

Since India is a democratic country, every person has the right to defend themselves. The ministers, however, seem to have taken advantage of these rights, with the BJP inconspicuously providing the support.

That the ministers indulged in inappropriate behavior in the assembly has raised concerns over how serious the representatives of the people are about their duties towards the betterment of the country.