Activists belonging to the Janata Dal (Secular) staged a protest in Belagavi on Wednesday against Pratap Simha, BJP MP from Mysuru, for alleged abusive comments made about Kittur Rani Chennamma, Belavadi Mallamma and Onake Obavva, by those claiming to be his followers.
The three women allegedly abused are popular warriors. Rani Chennamma was the Queen of Kittur, a princely state in present-day Karnataka, who lead an armed rebellion against the British East India Company in 1824. Belawadi Mallamma was the queen of Belawadi who fought against the Marathas in the 17th century and Onake Obavva is heralded for single-handedly fighting Hyder Ali’s army while defending Chitradurga Fort.
Activists shouted slogans at Chennamma Circle in Belagavi demanding that legal action should be taken against Simha and his supporters for their comments. They faulted Simha for not being able to discipline his followers using abusive language on social media, reported The Hindu.
The activists gathered demanded an apology from Simha and urged the state government to file cases against him for the derogatory remarks posted against the women warriors on the Facebook page ‘I support Pratap Simha’, reported Deccan Herald.
Sapna Patil, president, Kumaraswamy Brigade, said that the MP’s supporters had insulted the warrior queens on the Facebook page, Pratap Simha for CM, while speaking to The Hindu. “They should be arrested and tried,” she said in a memorandum to the Chief Minister submitted through the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
The MP and BJP leader tweeted distancing himself from the abusive fan pages named “I support Pratap Simha”.
The Facebook page ‘I support Pratap Simha’ has over 105,000 likes and 110,000 followers on Facebook and regularly shares articles in support of Pratap Simha, the BJP and its affiliate parties.
Simha’s social media presence has taken this hit six days after actor Prakash Raj sent a legal notice to the BJP MP for derogatory and personal remarks made by Simha on Facebook and Twitter.
Calling Simha a serial offender who trolled people and made derogatory remarks on social media, Prakash Raj said, “He was trying to instigate and it has made my personal life difficult. When I'm sharing my hurt you can't troll me and ask your followers to troll.”
In response, Pratap Simha denied making personal comments and challenged Prakash Raj to enter politics and see who has better support