Hyderabad: Suspended Goshamahal BJP MLA T Raja Singh alleged that the people of Karnataka ‘sold’ their votes for Rs 2,000 (each) to the Congress, leading to its victory. The grand old party won 135 out of 224 seats, demolishing any hopes of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had to pull the rug from the Congress.
Evidently disheartened over the Congress party’s victory in the Karnataka state elections, the now suspended BJP MLA said people have “chosen a party which spoke about banning Bajrang Dal”, removing ban on religious conversions, killing of cows and one that has “anti Hindu policies”.
“I am surprised as to why why the people of Karnataka have voted for Congress to power. Why they choose money over religion and a party which looted the nation,” he said.
Raja Singh went ahead and asked for how many days will the people who took money use it. He said the Congress supports all “anti national activities”. “We aimed to make India a Hindu Rashtra. How will it be possible if people sell themselves for Rs 2,000. The Hindus of Karnataka had shamed many of people like me,” he said.
Telangana election 2023: Raja Singh unlikely to get BJP ticket
Raja Singh is also unlikely to contest the upcoming Telangana state elections as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate as his suspension won’t be lifted any time soon by the party’s central leadership. It has been learnt that the firebrand Hindutva MLA is in fact likely to be given a Lok Sabha ticket next year from Zaheerabad.
M Vikram Goud, son of the late ex-Congress minister Mukesh Goud, is likely to be the BJP’s Goshamahal candidate. As of now, the Raja Singh is still suspended from the BJP, for the controversy and unrest he caused in Hyderabad last year due to his remarks on Prophet Muhammad. He was immediately suspended from the BJP, and he still remains to be so. The MLA has been running campaigns outside the state as he also faces a gag order from the high court.
Public meetings outside Hyderabad
With restrictions on him, Raja Singh is currently unable to carry out political campaigns or hold public rallies as he would have ideally done in the run-up to the polls. The legislator is currently out on bail after he was arrested for his derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad last year, which led to several protests. Raja Singh has been subverting his restrictions by passing communal and inflammatory remarks from outside the state.
During a speech at a public meeting held at T Kamgar Maidan in Maharashtra recently, Raja Singh used repeated his typical aggressive rant and provocative language. His comments were about inter-faith love affairs. “The chingari (spark) that is lit here will turn into a jwalamukhi (volcano) if love and land Jihad is not stopped. Be aware of ‘love jihad’ and (religious) conversions,” he said while addressing the gathering.
Raja Singh’s hate speech came at a rally in Mumbai at a programme organised by the Sakal Hindu Samaj, a conglomerate of Hindutva organisations under the banner of the Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha. It commenced from Shivaji Park in Dadar and ended at Kamgar Maidan in Parel. The Sakal Hindu Samaj is an organization comprising of various groups like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and Sanatan Sanstha.
Prophet Muhammad remarks case
Cases were registered against Raja Singh for passing derogatory statements against Prophet Muhammad that brought the city to the verge of a communal riot last year. Raja Singh released a video with his objectionable remarks after the state government allowed comedian Munawar Faruqui, who had performed a comedy set about Hindu gods earlier, to hold a show in the city
The BJP MLA’s video led to several protests for over two days, after which the Hyderabad police put him in prison. Senior police officials said that they are keeping tabs on him after his release as well. The suspended BJP MLA was detained under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act by the Hyderabad police last year. After spending nearly three months in the Central Prison, Cherlapally, he was released after the High Court quashed his detention orders.
