Singh is known for spewing venom against Muslims and has several hate speech cases registered against him.
Team Clarion
HYDERABAD – Firebrand Hindutva leader and sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Goshamahal constituency in Telangana’s capital city of Hyderabad, T. Raja Singh, has once again launched a diatribe against Muslims calling them “Jihadis”.
Singh is known for spewing venom against Muslims and has several hate speech cases registered against him.
The BJP allotted the Goshamahal seat to Singh in the impending state assembly elections after his suspension from the party for making derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was revoked last month. The blasphemous remarks by Singh delivered in a video almost led to riots in the state.
“Hindu voters must unite and demonstrate their strength at the polls to the minorities who slaughter beef, engage in ‘love jihad’ and promote religious conversion. This is a battle of dharma (religion). We must work to make dharma win… I have been with you for protection from these Jihadis for the past ten years,” he said addressing an election meeting in his constituency on Tuesday.
He labelled the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) party as “traitors who should be expelled from the country.” This is not the first time the Hindutva mascot has made hate speech, nor is this the first time that he has targeted the AIMIM.
At the meeting, Singh claimed that there had been an increase in the minority vote bank and also alleged a rise in bogus votes in the Goshamahal constituency.
In another inflammatory statement, he said, “This election is a matter of life and death for me. And I am neither afraid of dying nor afraid of killing. Think twice before betraying me. Else it will cost you dearly.”
Singh went on to further attack AIMIM leaders and said, “If the BJP forms the government in Telangana, whose feet will these leaders (AIMIM leaders) touch? We will throw these traitors out. We will not befriend the terrorists. They should be expelled from the country.”
He also accused Muslims in the Old City Hyderabad of waving their ‘green flags’ and alleged that Muslims from across the globe were sending money to defeat him.
The AIMIM in Telangana has been extending “friendly” support to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) since the state’s formation in 2014. Interestingly, the AIMIM has not fielded a candidate from Goshamahal this time. It did not field any candidate against Singh in 2018 either. AIMIM detractors allege a nexus between party patriarchs, Owaisi brothers, and Singh. The non-fielding of any candidate is also baffling as the seat is believed to have about 30% Muslim voters.
In 2018, Raja Singh was the only candidate who won from the BJP, as the BRS stormed to power by winning 88 of the 119 seats in the assembly. The AIMIM retained its seven seats in Hyderabad, while the Congress and Telugu Desam Party, despite an alliance, could win just 19 and two seats each.
In 2022, Singh objected to stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui’s show and slammed the BRS government for allowing him to perform in Hyderabad. He claimed that the comedian insulted Hindu gods and released the video in which he passed derogatory comments against Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It led to strong protests by Muslim youth, following which Singh was arrested and also suspended from the BJP.
Singh spent nearly three months in jail and was granted conditional bail.
