Day after FIR for alleged hate speech, BJP appoints MLA Raja Singh as political in-charge of Hyderabad

He also urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to take action against the so-called “love jihad” and warned that “or else, we will take the necessary actions”.

Also Read: Raja Singh has 75 cases against him, 65 for hurting religious sentiments

‘Verify Halal certification’

The controversial legislator, who has dozens of hate speech cases registered against him, also urged Hindus to verify if there was any “Halal” sign on the cover of the products they buy.

“If Halal is written on the products, throw them in the face of the shopkeepers,” said the BJP MLA, alleging that “love jihad” is being funded by this certification.

While Nitesh Rane, Maharashtra MLA and son of Union Minister Narayan Rane, mentioned “jihadis” and the demolition of mosques in his speech, Raja Singh, MLA from Goshamahal in Hyderabad, allegedly uttered objectionable statements on “love jihad”, the official said.

“We have booked Rane, Raja Singh, Sakal Hindu Samaj office bearer Sudhakar Mahadev Bahirwade and 8-10 others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code,” he said.

The case was registered under sections 153A (creating enmity between two different groups on ground of religion), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and others, he added.

Location: Solapur, Maharashtra
Date: January 6

BJP leader and Telangana legislator T Raja Singh delivers an extremely dangerous speech against Muslims, using anti-Muslim slurs and openly calling for violence.

The event was organized by Sakal Hindu Samaj. pic.twitter.com/LgpDsn8ZsX

— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) January 7, 2024

Appointed as political in-charge

Meanwhile, the BJP in Telangana on Monday appointed key party leaders as “political in-charges” for all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, putting Raja Singh in charge of Hyderabad where AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is the MP.

Union Tourism Minister and state BJP president G Kishan Reddy made these appointments, a BJP release said. K Laxman, the party’s Rajya Sabha MP, is in charge of the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, which Reddy currently represents.

The BJP had, on 22 October last year, revoked the suspension of Raja Singh, after the party’s disciplinary committee accepted his reply to a show-cause notice issued earlier.

He was suspended from the party on 23 August, 2022, for his alleged unsavoury remarks against Prophet Mohammad in a video posted on YouTube. The video was in response to a scheduled to show by stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui in Hyderabad.

Also Read: Owaisi attacks BJP over revocation of Raja Singh’s suspension

Suspension of Raja Singh

The BJP suspended Singh from the party hours after his arrest by the Hyderabad police for allegedly outraging religious sentiments.

The MLA, arrested under the provisions of the Preventive Detention (PD) Act in August, was released in November 2022 after the Telangana High Court set aside his arrest.

Following his arrest, the BJP disassociated itself from Singh’s comments, which were similar to those of the party’s former controversial spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

While suspended, Singh stayed away from party activities. However, he took part in the Sri Rama Navami Shobha Yatra procession organised from Dhoolpet to Hanuman Vyayamshala in Sultan Bazaar on 30 March, 2023.

Over 75 criminal cases against him

Singh, who has more than 75 criminal cases against him, was the only BJP candidate to win the state Assembly elections in 2018.

In keeping with his penchant for setting a divisive agenda, Singh warned organisers of the Navaratri garba events in Hyderabad in October last year against allowing non-Hindus into the venues.

Since his suspension, Singh addressed several gatherings in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and parts of Telangana where he delivered multiple inflammatory speeches.

In April last year, the Hyderabad City Police booked Singh in three back-to-back cases.

In one of the three cases, Singh was booked in connection with the display of a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse and giving a call for Akhand Bharat (unified India).

A case was registered against Singh for delivering a provocative speech during the Ram Navami procession on 30 March.

Leading the procession, Singh took an oath to make India a Hindu rashtra (nation).