MP Pratap Simha takes a dig at Mysuru royal; gets summoned by BJP

Karnataka BJP leader Pratap Simha has stirred a controversy with his comments against Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysore royal family, who is speculated to replace the Mysuru-Kodagu MP as the party’s candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Simha’s barbs at royal scion

Simha, who addressed the speculations in a recent social media post, indirectly questioned the party’s purported decision to have chosen a royal as its candidate for the constituency instead of someone like him (Simha) who has worked at the grassroots.

In a video message on Tuesday (March 12), Simha raised the royal’s past opposition to developmental works, while sarcastically noting that he may finally allow the same to be implemented in the constituency.

“From the air-conditioned palace of Mysuru, he has come to live with the people. There are a lot of advantages to that. There are a lot of cases going on between the government and the palace over property. Maharani (the titular queen) didn’t allow us to run a drinking water pipe through palace property. It might be resolved now,” he said.

Taking an indirect dig at the party, Simha asked if a person who lives in a palace can protest on the streets and wait outside hotels when senior party leaders come to the city.

“It is good to know that a person who lived in the palace will work as a BJP worker and protest on the street against the Congress government. Similarly, the (titular) king would sit with commoners while senior leaders sit on the dais and he would wait outside hotels when the senior leaders come to the city. It is good to know,” he said.

MP makes a case for himself

Earlier on Tuesday, Simha while addressing reporters in Mysuru, had made a strong case for himself as the rightful BJP candidate, listing out his achievements as MP.

“With my decade-long track record of developmental initiatives and unwavering commitment to our party’s ideology and organisation, I am confident that the party will give me the ticket,” he told reporters.

Stating that the party should weigh the contributions of incumbent MPs while deciding on candidates, Simha batted for his commitment towards the party’s Hindutva cause, stating that no one in the region can rival his commitment in this regard.

He had also told reporters that he will back Wadiyar’s candidature if he is selected for the seat by the party, and himself work as a dedicated party worker.

“I am prepared to continue working tirelessly as a dedicated party worker, regardless of the ticket allocation. If Yaduveer receives the ticket, I wholeheartedly accept it and pledge support to him. His decision to transition from palace life to serving the people is commendable,” Simha said.

The BJP MP, however, changed his tone against Wadiyar after reports asserted that the party may favour the royal over Simha in its candidates’ list.

Simha posts photos with PM after BJP summons him

Reports said Simha was summoned by the party’s national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge for the Lok Sabha polls, Radha Mohandas Agarwal, soon after he made the comments against Wadiyar on social media.

On Wednesday, Simha in a social media post shared a couple old photos of him with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and urged BJP workers and his well-wishers not to “protest”.

“Dear karyakarthas & well wishers, wht am I without beloved PM @narendramodi ji? See these 2 photos and understand. I owe my political existence to Modi ji. I humbly request all of you to not protest. We all belong to one family, let’s work for Modi ji. @AgrawalRMD,” Simha said in the post, tagging the prime minister and Agarwal.

‘Sitting MPs shouldn’t lose hope’

Responding to rumours about the cancellation of Simha’s candidature, leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, said he doesn’t know if the party has approached Wadiyar for a ticket.

He, however, told the media in Delhi that there will be potential surprises in the party’s candidate list for Karnataka.

“Detailed discussion has taken place regarding all 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, national president JP Nadda and select leaders from the state. The central leadership has taken the opinion of the state leaders for selection of candidates,” he was quoted as saying.

“So, there may be some changes. I cannot predict as to how many sitting MPs may get a ticket. It is left for the party high command to decide, but change is certain. BJP is a party that constantly keeps changing and gives opportunities to fresh faces, so surprises may be expected,” he said.

He, however, urged sitting MPs to “have hope” stating that “there are chances till the last minute”.