BENGALURU: Karnataka’s primary and secondary education minister Tanveer Sait met chief minister Siddamaramaiah on Sunday and explained the episode of his alleged viewing of obscene pictures during Tipu Jayanti celebration function in Raichur recently.
Amid state-wide campaign by opposition BJP and JD(S) for his resignation, Sait reiterated his stand that he had not done anything wrong. Sait reportedly showed the alleged WhatsApp message in his mobile phone to the chief minister and tried to convince him that he had neither viewed nor downloaded them.
The minister conveyed that he had just scrolled through all the messages he had received and it was wrongly portrayed by the electronic media as if he were watching the sleazy pictures.
According to sources, Siddaramaiah said that the episode cannot be treated lightly as it was damaging the image of the government.
Meanwhile, Congress High Command sought a report from Siddaramaiah on the incident and he reportedly made it clear to Sait that the party high command would take a final call on the issue.
All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Karnataka Digvijay Singh has already expressed concern at the public outcry against the minister. Singh has sought a report on the incident from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwar.
With the opposition parties girding up to put Siddaramaiah government on the mat over the issue in the winter session of state legislature starting in Belagavi on November 21, a section of the Congress leadership is considering to ask the minister to step down so as to initiate a probe into the incident. Sait will also be assured that if he comes clean in the probe, the government would re-induct him, said the sources.