Opposition leaders are gunning for BJP MP Pratap Simha for allegedly issuing passes to at least one of the suspects who breached the security of Parliament and jumped into the floor of the Lok Sabha carrying smoke canisters.
Suspended BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali posted pictures of a Parliament pass that allegedly belong to one of the intruders. The pass, in the name of one Sagar Sharma, has been issued by Pratap Simha, BJP MP from Mysore in Karnataka.
Follow all the live updates on the Parliament breach here.
"In a chilling reminder to the Parliament attack 21 years back on the same day (Dec 13), a man jumped from visitors’ gallery into Lok Sabha MPs area. The breach could’ve put lives of MPs in danger. It has exposed chinks in the 56inch armour. The man was a guest of @BJP4India MP," Danish Ali wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In his post, Ali also put up pictures of the alleged intruder's Aadhar card and a shoe.
The All India Trinamool Congress has called for Sinha's expulsion from the Parliament.
Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha called for an inquiry against the "MP who signed the intruders' invitation".
"Which MP endorsed and gave their signature and allowed this person inside the LS? Will there be an enquiry against the MP? Will an FIR be registered? Will the MP be arrested? Will the Lok Sabha membership of this MP be cancelled? This is an important matter. Did this MP have knowledge about the intrusion inside the Parliament?" Chadha asked, speaking to the Press Trust of India.
Simha is yet to respond to the Opposition's allegations.
As per the Parliament's security protocol, visitors can come to the Parliament only after securing passes issued by an MP.
Who is Pratap Simha?
Sinha, 47, represents the Mysore-Kodagu constituency in the Lok Sabha. He is a two-term MP having won the seat in 2014 and 2019. He is known to espouse hardline pro-Hindutva views.
He began his career as a journalist and worked for Vijaya Karnataka. He used to write columns espousing hardline Hindutva views and attacking those who criticised it.
He wrote a book on Narendra Modi in 2008, when the latter was the chief minister of Gujarat. This made him one of the earliest votaries of PM Modi in Karnataka.
Simha is known to make controversial statements – such as accusing Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah of being "pro-Jihadi" for participating in the celebration of Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary. He had also targeted journalist Gurmehar Kaur, then a Delhi University student, for being critical of the ABVP. He had compared her to Dawood Ibrahim.
After making unsavoury remarks against actor Prakash Raj, Simha was served a legal notice by the actor and had to issue an apology.
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