N Mahesh, Karnataka's lone MLA from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) found himself in a spot of bother on Monday, 17 December. He was caught on camera scrolling through a picture of a woman on his mobile phone during the winter Assembly session in Belagavi.
When he was confronted about it by reporters, he accused the media of sensationalising the issue.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "Yes, I took the phone inside. It was a mistake. I will never do it again. But what kind of journalism is this that you are sensationalising everything. I am searching for a girl for an alliance for my son. My friend sent me a photo of a girl. Please don't portray this in wrong light and play up the issue. This is very unfortunate. I am sorry to say this".
TV channels in the state and national news channel played videos of the MLA scrolling through photos of women on his phone. Mahesh was criticised for using his mobile phone during an Assembly session while some had reservations about his decision to scroll through pictures of women.