Mysuru MP Pratap Simha on Wednesday came out in support of Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri over the Spandana programme launched by her to take the administration to the rural parts of the district.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Mr. Simha said the Deputy Commissioner had taken up the programme for the benefit of the people and regretted that the MLAs, instead of supporting such good initiative, had opposed it on the grounds that she had not taken their permission.
“Just because they have become MLAs does not mean that the DC should take their permission to hold programmes for the benefit of the people”, Mr Simha argued. He criticised a section of the MLAs for “ganging up” against the Deputy Commissioner and threatening her with moving a “privilege motion”.
The MP also recalled that the former Minister in charge of Mysuru district V. Somanna, during a Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting in January 2020, had asked the officials including Deputy Commissioner, Tahsildars and Assistant Commissioners to go to the people instead of sitting in their respective offices and help the needy.
Mr. Simha criticised Hunsur MLA H.P. Manjunath for stating that the Deputy Commissioner was behaving like a ‘Maharani’. “He went personal against her and used inappropriate language”, the MP said and questioned the MLA’s contribution to his constituency since he was electedabout a year ago.
Mr. Simha maintained that the Spandana programme launched by the Deputy Commissioner has not been cancelled. When his attention was drawn to Revenue Minister R. Ashok’s recent announcement in Mysuru that the programme had been cancelled, Mr. Simha said the Revenue Minister had said that the government’s programme to take administration to the doorsteps of the people will be started soon.
Interestingly, the day Mr. Ashok told reporters that he had instructed Ms. Sindhuri to cancel Spandana progamme in the wake her tiff with MLAs, the Department of Information and Public Relations in Mysuru sent a message to reporters in the night that the Spandana programmes will not be held in view of the election code of conduct coming into force following the announcement of gram panchayat elections.
