Hyderabad: Following the acceptance of his resignation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Goshamahal MLA Raja Singh released a statement vowing to continue serving ‘Hindutva’, the hardline ideology associated with right-wing Hindu nationalism.
In a statement on X, he conveyed that perhaps he could not convey to Delhi “the pain of millions of BJP workers who are working day and night with the dream of forming a BJP government in Telangana.” Adding that his decision was not driven by the need for position, power, or personal gain.
The leader, often criticised and occasionally penalised for his hate speeches against Muslims in the country, had resigned from the primary membership of the BJP after a state leadership change.
Singh raised doubts over the direction the party was moving in after Ramchander Rao was appointed the Telangana BJP chief and offered to resign. His resignation was accepted by the central leadership, citing that his reasons were irrelevant and did not match the function, ideology, and principles of the party. Acting on the direction of BJP president Nadda, National General Secretary and Headquarters Incharge Arun Singh accepted Raja Singh’s resignation with immediate effect.
What’s next for Raja Singh?
With his resignation, many are keeping their fingers crossed over the next step of the firebrand Hindutva ambassador.
Raja Singh is currently undertaking the Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage and is expected to return to the city next week. “We don’t know what the next step of Raja Singh is. One thing is crystal clear, the MLA has a mass base in the country and his followers will support his decisions,” said a close confidant of the MLA.
Sources said that Raja Singh has a good following in Maharashtra and desires to become an MP from Maharashtra. During the last election, he had tried to get a ticket from Telangana, but could not get it. There is a possibility that Raja Singh will join a party in Maharashtra and contest a Parliamentary seat.
The other alternative is that Raja Singh could establish his political party and test the waters in the GHMC elections scheduled for later this year.
A local organisation, Sriram Yuva Sena, was floated by Raja Singh long ago to reinforce his identity as a Hindutva leader at the national level. It was also built to increase the MLA’s fan following in the country.
The organisation remained confined mostly on paper with Raja Singh enjoying his political affiliations with Telugu Desam Party (2009-2013) and later with the Bharatiya Janata Party (2014 onwards) and winning an MLA seat for two consecutive terms.
The group might take centre stage now with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accepting the resignation of the MLA.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, had himself floated a saffron group, Hindu Yuva Vahini, years before coming into politics. During his days as a Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur, the organisation expanded fully under his patronage. Raja Singh is emulating the same model here, now he feels the time is favourable for him, political analysts point out.
The support Raja Singh garnered among the youth of Hyderabad can be seen in his massive rallies during Hanuman Jayanti and Sri Rama Navami.
Political journey
Thakur Raja Singh Lodh was born in Dhoolpet, Hyderabad, and since childhood, associated with Hindu organisations in his locality. He was associated with the RSS and Bajrang Dal before taking the political plunge by winning as a corporator in the Hyderabad municipal corporation from N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Even in TDP, he actively participated and encouraged Hindu activism in Hyderabad. Some Hindu monks had crowned Raja Singh as Hindu Hrudaya Samrat in January 2013, when the controversial leader was yet to join the BJP.
His uncompromising Hindutva stand helped him emerge as the favourite in his constituency and the sole MLA for the BJP in the 2018 assembly election when the BJP lost deposits in over 100 assembly segments among 119 constituencies in Telangana.
