Pratap Simha

{{Other uses|Pratap Singh (disambiguation){{!}}Pratap Singh}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Prathap Simha

| image = Pratap Simha (4).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Pratap Simha in 2020

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|6|21|df=y}}

| birth_place = Sakleshpura, Hassan district, Karnataka, India

| term_start = 26 May 2014

| term_end = 04 June 2024

| predecessor = Adagur H. Vishwanath

| successor = Yaduveer Wadiyar

| party = Bharatiya Janata Party

| spouse = Arpitha

| children = 1

| website = {{url|https://pratapsimha.com/}}

| office = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha

| constituency = Mysore

| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality|embed=yes

| name = Pratap Simha

| channels = [https://www.youtube.com/user/PratapSimhaOfficial Pratap Simha]

| years_active = 2014–present

| genre = {{flatlist|

Politics}}

| subscribers = 16.2 thousand

| views = 1 million

| stats_update = 30 October 2022

}}

Prathap Simha (born 21 June 1976){{cite web|url=http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/Members/Biography.aspx?mpsno=4708|title=Lok Sabha profile of Pratap Simha}}{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=National Informatics |title=Digital Sansad |url=https://sansad.in/ls |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Digital Sansad |language=en}} 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.{{cite web |author=ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA |date=23 May 2019 |title=GENERAL ELECTION TO LOK SABHA TRENDS & RESULT 2019 |url=https://eciresults.nic.in/ConstituencywiseS1021.htm?ac=21 |accessdate=2019-06-26 |work=ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA |location=Mysore}} 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 Belur, Karnataka to B.E. Gopal Gowda and Pushpa.{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=National Informatics |title=Digital Sansad |url=https://sansad.in/ls |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Digital Sansad |language=en}} 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.{{cite web|title=Karnataka MP and former journalist Pratap Simha made Press Council of India member|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/karnataka-mp-and-former-journalist-pratap-simha-made-press-council-india-member|work=The News Minute|accessdate=11 January 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620002634/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/karnataka-mp-and-former-journalist-pratap-simha-made-press-council-india-member|archivedate=20 June 2015|date=17 June 2015}} 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."{{cite web|title=I Was The Only Candidate Modi Hugged Here|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/i-was-the-only-candidate-modi-hugged-here/290911|publisher=Outlook (magazine)|accessdate=11 January 2018}} 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."

= As politician =

In June 2015, Simha was appointed as a member of the Press Council of India. As a politician and a Member of the Parliament (MP), Simha came to be known for his staunch stances in the promotion of Hindutva.{{cite web|title=There is no plan or strategy for Hardline Hindutva: B S Yeddyurappa|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2017/dec/13/there-is-no-plan-or-strategy-for-hardline-hindutva-b-s-yeddyurappa-1725842.html|access-date=11 January 2018|work=The New Indian Express|date=13 December 2017}}{{cite web|title=Pratap Simha: A Heady Mix of Ambition, Controversy and Temperament|url=http://www.news18.com/news/politics/pratap-simha-a-heady-mix-of-ambition-controversy-and-temperament-1606601.html|work=Network 18|date=11 January 2018 |accessdate=11 January 2018}}

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.{{cite news|title=BJP MP Pratap Simha opposes Tipu Jayanti, says Tipu can be a role model only for Islamists|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tipu-sultan-jayanti-tyranny-mysuru-vhp-rss-bjp-mp-pratap-simha-1070201-2017-10-23|accessdate=11 January 2018|work=India Today|date=23 October 2017}} 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.{{cite news|title=Pratap Simha among several arrested in Hunsur ahead of Hanuma Jayanthi|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/pratap-simha-among-several-arrested-in-hunsur-ahead-of-hanuma-jayanthi/article21253923.ece|accessdate=11 January 2018|work=The Hindu|date=3 December 2017}} 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, and barging through the barricade in his car.{{cite magazine|last=Sayeed|first=Vikhar Ahmed|title=Polarisation game|url=http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/polarisation-game/article10008832.ece|magazine=Frontline|issue=18 January 2018|accessdate=11 January 2018}}

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.{{cite news|title=BJP MP Pratap Simha compares DU student Gurmehar Kaur with Dawood|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/feb/27/bjp-mp-pratap-simha-compares-du-student-gurmehar-kaur-with-dawood-1575379.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227123758/http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/feb/27/bjp-mp-pratap-simha-compares-du-student-gurmehar-kaur-with-dawood-1575379.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 February 2017|accessdate=11 January 2018|work=The New Indian Express|date=27 February 2017}}

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".{{cite news|title=Actor Prakash Raj sends legal notice to BJP MP Pratap Simha over alleged trolling|url=http://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/actor-prakash-raj-sends-legal-notice-to-bjp-mp-pratap-simha-over-alleged-trolling-4225423.html|accessdate=11 January 2018|work=Firstpost|date=24 November 2017}} 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.{{cite news|title=Prakash Raj issues legal notice to MP Pratap Simha|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/prakash-raj-issues-legal-notice-to-mp-pratap-simha/article20746220.ece|accessdate=11 January 2018|work=The Hindu|date=24 November 2017}} Simha apologised publicly for his conduct.{{cite news |last1=Dharmadhikari |first1=Sanyukta |title=BJP MP Pratap Simha apologises to Prakash Raj for derogatory social media post in 2017 |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/bjp-mp-pratap-simha-apologises-prakash-raj-derogatory-social-media-post-2017-106853 |access-date=24 September 2019 |work=The News Minute |date=8 August 2019 |language=en}}

= 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.{{Cite web |title=BJP MP who issued visitor pass to intruder meets Lok Sabha Speaker, says... |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/parliament-security-breach-intruder-wanted-to-see-new-building-pratap-simha-tells-lok-sabha-speaker-om-birla-2475658-2023-12-13 |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=India Today |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-12-13 |title=Lok Sabha security breach: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah questions Mysuru MP Pratap Simha's connection with the accused |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bengaluru-news/lok-sabha-security-breach-karnataka-cm-siddaramaiah-questions-mysuru-mp-pratap-simhas-connection-with-the-accused-101702467310509.html |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}