MYSURU: Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha faced the ire of the Dalit community when he visited Harohalli-Gujjegowdanapura, where stone blocks to carve Ram Lalla were procured. Dalit ‘Ram bhakts’ who had organised a bhumi puja at the site where the Ram Lalla stone was extracted, had invited MLA G T Devegowda and other JDS leaders of the region, including several leaders from neighbouring villages.
High drama prevailed when Pratap Simha arrived to attend the event and was stopped by a village leader and former taluk panchayat member Suresh, who claimed that Simha was not invited, and alleged that he was anti-Dalit. He demanded that Simha should not be allowed to take part in the event.
While former minister Sa Ra Mahesh and Devegowda took part in the ceremony, many villagers of Harohalli asked Simha to leave, and not play the ‘divide-and-rule’ card in their village.
“You are here for political reasons, and being anti-Dalit, you have come to disturb the peace and harmony of the village where we Dalits and other communities live together. Leaders from all political parties come here but you never visited nor listened to us. We don’t want you to take part in this event,” he said.
‘Cong workers to blame’
Simha was forced to leave as villagers started raising slogans against him, prompting police to surround him and escort him to his car.
Later in the day, Pratap Simha accused the Congress of creating a ruckus in the village.
“Just a few miscreants created a ruckus and they are Congress workers. I am against Mahisha Dasara even now. Congress cannot defeat me in the Lok Sabha election, which is why they are doing such drama,” he said.