Mysuru: “Sitting Member of Parliament Pratap Simha is misusing official machinery for his election campaigning. Hence the election commissioner should immediately take action against him and the postal department officials concerned,” said K S Shivaram, President of Backward Classes Forum. He alleged that Pratap Simha had used postal department to distribute his 13 to 14 page 50,000 booklets highlighting his performance during his near five-year term.
Though the election code of conduct came into effect from March 10, a letter by the Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Mysuru division on March 12, directs his staff, “Pratap Simha has ordered 50,000 booklets under direct post with specific instructions. The same be distributed among houses in the delivery jurisdictions of your post office. These articles can be delivered by March 16, 2019. It is requested that no single house is left out in each beat. If any postman refuses to take the articles for delivery assigning the reason that all houses under his beat is covered the same may be recorded in writing and forwarded to this office mentioning arrears covered under his beat. This is only occasional business and earns huge revenue for the department.” Apart from this, the letter also contained instructions like “Delivery staff should be specifically instructed to ensure that only one booklet is delivered at the places specified without fail. The delivery aspect will be closely monitored by the divisional office and other officials concern as well as party workers of BJP. Any complaint received on the lapses in delivery will be viewed seriously. Please intimate the name of the postman and number of articles issued or delivered, to this office positively on the close of March 18, 2019 without fail.”
“The above letter written by a postal department official to his subordinates is clear cut violation. The booklet with the seal of postal department and without any address is being distributed. The postal department is acting as an agent of the BJP party. Not only Senior Superintendent of Post Offices of Mysuru division but also other postal officials involved in instructing him to do this should also be suspended immediately. If the authorities fail to take action against these officials and sitting MP Pratap Simha, we will not only fight legally but also take out agitation in Mysuru and across the state”, said Shivaram.
A complaint in this regard has also been given to the district electoral officer and also Deputy Commissioner Abhiram Sankar.
