New Delhi: BJP MP from Karnataka’s Mysuru seat, Pratap Simha, was reportedly unable to attend a religious event in a Mysuru village following opposition from some locals.
According to a report by the Deccan Herald, Simha arrived for the event on Monday (January 22) morning but left after a group of Dalit leaders gheraoed him in opposition to his visit.
The event in question was a foundation stone-laying ceremony for a Ram temple in Gujjegowdanapura village. A stone block that was used to carve the idol of Lord Ram in the Ayodhya Ram Temple was mined from this village, the Indian Express reported.
Monday’s ceremony was scheduled to take place before the Ayodhya temple’s consecration, the Express‘s report said.
It also quoted Suresh, a villager, as accusing Simha of coming to the village only for political reasons.
“You have never visited the village in ten years and you are here now for political reasons. Other elected representatives, including BJP MLAs, have come here and been involved. You never bothered to listen to us, and we do not want you to come here,” Suresh was quoted as saying.
The South First news website also reported Suresh, who it said was a former Congress taluka panchayat member, as saying that Simha was “anti-Dalit”.
According to The Hindu, Simha ultimately left the village without attending the foundation stone-laying ceremony.
In a major embarrassment to #BJP MP Pratap Simha, villagers stopped him from participating in the #Pooja in #Karnataka’s Mysuru, claiming he is anti dalit and that he never visited this village before. This is where the rock was sourced for the statue of #LordRam. pic.twitter.com/sRok8v9Gdf
— Pratiba Raman (@PratibaRaman) January 22, 2024
The Herald cited villagers as opposing Simha’s visit saying he had “[issued] statements against Dalits at public platforms and during Mahisha Dasara”.
According to an earlier report by the Express, Simha had opposed attempts to celebrate the Mahisha Dasara festival last year on the grounds that it was “anti-Hindu”.
Its report said that the Dasara festival culminates with Vijayadashami, which according to Hindu mythology commemorates the Goddess Durga’s defeat of a demon named Mahishasura.
But it reported that some Dalits and rationalists in the Mysuru region claimed that Mahishasura was not a demon, but a king or nobleman who spread Buddhism in the region.
Simha had then said that a “few individuals [were] trying to twist the history and legacy of the land”.
“It is nothing but a sadistic mentality … We are ready for any conflicts to stop Mahisha Dasara permanently. If we allow, next they will ask forest brigand Veerappan Dasara to be celebrated,” the Express quoted him as saying.
On Monday, he reportedly blamed the opposition to his visit on Congress party workers.
“Just some four miscreants created the ruckus and they are Congress workers. I am against Mahisha Dasara even now. [The] Congress cannot defeat me in this Lok Sabha elections, which is why they are making such dramas. I will not fear for all these,” he said according to the Express.