Pratap Simha

For other uses, see Pratap Singh.

Prathap Simha
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 16 May 2014 – 4 June 2024
Preceded by	Adagur H. Vishwanath
Succeeded by	Yaduveer Wadiyar
Constituency	Mysore
Personal details
Born	(1976-06-21) 21 June 1976 Sakleshpura, Hassan district, Karnataka, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse(s)	Arpitha
Children	1
Website	pratapsimha.com
Template:Infobox youtube channel

Prathap Simha (born 21 June 1976)<ref>"Lok Sabha profile of Pratap Simha".</ref><ref>Centre, National Informatics. "Digital Sansad". Digital Sansad. Retrieved 4 June 2024.</ref> is an Indian journalist and politician who was a Member of Parliament for Mysore from 2014 to 2024, as well as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.<ref name="ECI">ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA (23 May 2019). "GENERAL ELECTION TO LOK SABHA TRENDS & RESULT 2019". ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA. Mysore. Retrieved 26 June 2019.</ref> Prior to his parliamentary terms, he was the president of the party's youth wing in Karnataka.

Simha was first elected in 2014 to the 16th assembly of Parliament with over 5 lakh votes. He was again voted in 2019 to the 17th assembly with a similar share, defeating his next opponent from the Indian National Congress with a margin of 1.39 lakh votes. He is the first candidate in the history of the constituency to have secured more than 5 lakh votes, until Yaduveer Wadiyar won with almost 8 lakhs in 2024.

Early life and education

Prathap Simha was born on 21 June 1976 at Sakaleshpur, Karnataka to B.E. Gopal Gowda and Pushpa.<ref>Centre, National Informatics. "Digital Sansad". Digital Sansad. Retrieved 4 June 2024.</ref> He holds a master's degree in communication and journalism from Mangalore University.

Career

As journalist

Simha joined the Kannada-language newspaper Vijaya Karnataka in 1999 as a trainee. He was later elevated as the editor and functioned under senior editor Vishweshwar Bhat during the time. He wrote his column under the title Bettale Jagattu (The Naked World) espousing Hindutva and being fiercely critical of anybody opposing it.<ref name="tnm1">"Karnataka MP and former journalist Pratap Simha made Press Council of India member". The News Minute. 17 June 2015. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref> Writing an article for the Outlook in 2014, he claimed that with his book Narendra Modi: Yaaru Thuliyada Haadi (Narendra Modi: The Untrodden Road) written in 2008, Simha "introduc[ed] Modi to Karnataka."<ref name="outlook">"I Was The Only Candidate Modi Hugged Here". Outlook (magazine). Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref> Expressing his desire to contest from the Udupi Chikmagalur constituency as a member of the BJP in the 2014 general election, his candidature was accepted by the party, but was asked to contest from Mysore. Then a journalist with Kannada Prabha, Simha resigned in April 2014 before beginning his electoral campaign, and subsequently winning the seat. He summed up: "In 33 days, I had gone from columnist to parliamentarian."<ref name="outlook"/>

As politician

In June 2015, Simha was appointed as a member of the Press Council of India.<ref name="tnm1"/> As a politician and a Member of the Parliament (MP), Simha came to be known for his staunch stances in the promotion of Hindutva.<ref>"There is no plan or strategy for Hardline Hindutva: B S Yeddyurappa". The New Indian Express. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref><ref name="news18">"Pratap Simha: A Heady Mix of Ambition, Controversy and Temperament". Network 18. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref>

Controversies

Simha's tenure as an MP was marked by several controversies. He was a vocal against government of Karnataka's birthday celebrations of Tipu Sultan starting 2015. He voiced that Sultan could be a "role model only for Islamists" and that the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was "encouraging Jihadists" in the State.<ref>"BJP MP Pratap Simha opposes Tipu Jayanti, says Tipu can be a role model only for Islamists". India Today. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref> In 2017, against this backdrop, and police's prohibitory orders against taking procession of Hanuman Jayanti's organizers in Hunsur, a town in his constituency, Simha was arrested after he violated the prohibitory orders.<ref>"Pratap Simha among several arrested in Hunsur ahead of Hanuma Jayanthi". The Hindu. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref> In a widely circulated video, he was seen subsequently threatening the police officials and questioning their intent of "restricting" celebration of festivals of the Hindu faith,<ref name="news18"/> and barging through the barricade in his car.<ref>Sayeed, Vikhar Ahmed. "Polarisation game". Frontline. No. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref>

In February 2017, Simha received criticism after he compared Gurmehar Kaur to Dawood Ibrahim. She was a student of Delhi University who spoke against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a student body affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.<ref>"BJP MP Pratap Simha compares DU student Gurmehar Kaur with Dawood". The New Indian Express. 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref>

Simha courted controversy again in November that year while making statements against actor Prakash Raj after the latter questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence following "certain killings" in the country. Simha had tweeted, "Being sad due to son's death, having left your wife and ran behind a dancer, Mr. Raj, do you have any right to say anything to Yogi, Modi".<ref>"Actor Prakash Raj sends legal notice to BJP MP Pratap Simha over alleged trolling". Firstpost. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref> He was subsequently sent a legal notice to by Raj calling for an unconditional public apology, and that failing which he would "press criminal charges" against him.<ref>"Prakash Raj issues legal notice to MP Pratap Simha". The Hindu. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.</ref> Simha apologised publicly for his conduct.<ref>Dharmadhikari, Sanyukta (8 August 2019). "BJP MP Pratap Simha apologises to Prakash Raj for derogatory social media post in 2017". The News Minute. Retrieved 24 September 2019.</ref>

2023 Indian Parliament breach

Main article: 2023 Indian Parliament breach

In December 2023, a group that carried out a smoke canister attack inside Lok Sabha secured access using visitors' passes issued by Simha. The opposition demanded strict action against Simha and compared it to opposition Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's suspension. Moitra was suspended after her login credentials were found to be accessible by a businessman in Dubai. Congress workers protested outside Simha's office in Mysore and Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah questioned Simha's role and demanded a fair investigation by the Central Government into the affair.<ref>"BJP MP who issued visitor pass to intruder meets Lok Sabha Speaker, says..." India Today. Retrieved 14 December 2023.</ref><ref>"Lok Sabha security breach: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah questions Mysuru MP Pratap Simha's connection with the accused". Hindustan Times. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.</ref>

See also

• Tejasvi Surya
• List of members of the 17th Lok Sabha