BJP, RSS leaders issue gag order to ‘outspoken’ Mysuru MP Simha

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Mysuru: Taking note of the outbursts against his party leaders, the BJP high command has issued gag orders to Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha. Even RSS pramukhs have sent a word through BJP leaders warning Simha not to say anything against the BJP top brass including former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai at the behest of anyone.

BJP sources told News Trail that the recent utterances against Bommai and other state leaders of having a tacit understanding with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and accusing them of ‘helping out’ each other caused a major embarrassment for the saffron party. This came as a blessing for the ruling party which demanded that the Mysuru-Kodagu MP disclose the names of BJP leaders who have struck a secret pact with Siddaramaiah.

The BJP National General Secretary and former MLA C.T. Ravi has reportedly indirectly supported Simha’s statement on the secret pact but did not attack Bommai In the last two weeks, Simha has held two press conferences mainly to attack his own party leaders. He went to the extent of blaming Bommai for giving bad governance for almost two years after B.S.Yediyurappa was forced to resign because of the age factor.

The BJP and RSS leaders construed the utterances of Simha against his own leaders as the ‘height of arrogance’ and have warned him. Many BJP leaders took strong objection to Simha’s more than usual interest in the construction of the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway, a project of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) leaders slammed Pratap Simha as ‘the chief engineer and contractor’ of the Expressway. Sources say that the Mysuru MP was openly snubbed by then CM Bommai once or twice and since, then Simha was waiting for an opportunity to hit back by holding Bommai responsible for the BJP’s defeat.