Former Mysuru MP Pratap Simha on Monday dismissed speculation about his entry into the Congress after he favoured a proposal to name the ‘KRS’ road in Mysuru as ‘Siddaramaiah Arogya Marg’.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Mr. Simha sought to make it clear that he entered politics in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will forever remain in the BJP, fighting for the cause of Hindutva.
Pointing out that there was no need for him to join the Congress, Mr. Simha said he would have joined the party before the previous Lok Sabha elections when he was offered the party ticket after losing the BJP ticket.
With regard to his statement favouring a proposal to name a stretch of KRS Road after Mr. Siddaramaiah, the former MP said he inquired with the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) when he heard about the proposal and learnt that there is no official record of a name for the road ever since the civic body came into existence in the 80’s.
“When there is no no name for the road and Mr. Siddaramaiah, who had become the Chief Minister of the State for the second time, and had released funds for the setting up healthcare facilities on the road, I said there is no harm in naming the road after him,” Mr. Pratap Simha said.
His statement, however, has been wrongfully interpreted to speculate over his possible entry into the Congress and softening of his approach towards Mr. Siddaramaiah.
Ever since he came to Mysuru, Mr. Simha said he had not heard anybody call the road as ‘Princess Krishnajammanni Road’. The stretch has been popularly called as either KRS Road, Vontikoppal Road or Temple Road, he said.
If at all, the road has already been named as ‘Princess Krishnajammanni Road’, Mr. Simha said he would appeal to Chamaraja MLA Harish Gowda, based on whose representation the MCC had invited objections to name the road after Mr. Siddaramaiah, to drop the proposal.
There is no shortage of roads in Mysuru to name after Mr. Siddaramaiah, he said before adding that Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) can develop a new layout and name it after the Chief Minister in recognition of his contribution.
However, Mr. Pratap Simha also made it clear that he had consistently waged a battle against Mr. Siddaramaiah for his alleged anti-Hindutva stance and casteist approach.
The former MP said he had earned the praise of the royal family when he not only defeated Mr. Siddaramaiah’s plans to name the Mysuru airport after Tipu Sultan, the warrior king, but also when he ensured that Tipu Express, plying between Mysuru and Bengaluru, was renamed as ‘Wadiyar’ Express even though there was no such demand from the people of Mysuru.
The former BJP MP also pointed out that the Siddaramaiah government had registered five FIRs against him during the last three months, besides the two cases booked against him during the campaign for assembly elections in Varuna segment last year.
Published – December 31, 2024 07:07 pm IST