Let people decide: BJP leader linked to Parliament security breach
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pratap Simha, under fire over the Parliament security breach, on Sunday stated he has placed his trust in the people. To recall, it was his office that issued visitor passes to two individuals who intruded into the Lok Sabha earlier this month. Reacting to a poster of him holding a bomb with "traitor" written on it, Simha said that people will decide whether he is a patriot or traitor in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Why does this story matter?
On December 13, Manoranjan D and Sagar Sharma jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery, raising slogans and setting off smoke bombs. Two others, Neelam Azad and Amol Shinde, staged a similar demonstration outside the Parliament complex simultaneously before being arrested. Investigating the high-profile case, the Delhi Police has so far arrested six individuals involved in the meticulously planned attack.
Simha leaves 'traitor' verdict to gods, supporters
In his first public reaction to the security breach controversy, Simha said he has left the matter to the gods and his supporters to decide what he is: a traitor or a patriot. "Goddess Chamundeshwari, Mother Kaveri...people of Mysore and Kodagu who have seen my work in the last 20 years will decide if I'm a traitor or a nation lover," the Mysore-Kodagu MP from the BJP said. "They will decide in the April 2024 elections," the Karnataka politician added.
Investigation continues as Simha faces protests
Following the Parliament security breach on December 13, numerous organizations in Karnataka staged protests against Simha. One of them had also put up a poster claiming that the saffron party MP was a traitor for issuing the Parliament visitor passes to the intruders. Meanwhile, on Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi confirmed that Simha's statement had been recorded as part of the ongoing investigation into the security breach case.
Who is BJP MP Simha?
Simha represents the Mysore-Kodagu constituency of Karnataka in the Lok Sabha and is a popular BJP leader who won both the 2014 and 2019 general elections from the seat. Before making his political debut in 2014, the 47-year-old journalist-turned-politician worked with the Kannada Prabha news outlet. A year later, the BJP MP was also appointed as a member of the Press Council of India in 2015.
