Singh was suspended on 23 August last year for his unsavoury remarks against the Prophet in a video posted on social media.
Suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh in Mumbai on 29 January. (Twitter)
The BJP on Sunday, 22 October, revoked the suspension of its Goshamahal MLA, T Raja Singh, after the party’s disciplinary committee accepted his reply to a show-cause notice issued earlier.
The controversial legislator has also been announced as BJP’s candidate for the Goshamahal Assembly seat for the Telangana Assembly elections 2023, scheduled to be conducted on 30 November.
Singh was suspended from the party on 23 August last year for his alleged unsavoury remarks against the Prophet in a video posted on YouTube. The video was in response to stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui’s show in Hyderabad.
The BJP suspended Singh from the party hours after his arrest by the Hyderabad police for allegedly outraging religious sentiments.
The latest development is the BJP’s plan to pave the way for the two-time MLA to contest the Assembly elections. His name was on the first list of the BJP candidates announced on Sunday.
Om Pathak, the member secretary of the BJP’s central disciplinary committee, stated in a letter that Singh had expressed views contrary to the party’s position on various matters. His act was in clear violation of Rule XXV 10 (a) of the party’s constitution.
Raja Singh at the Ram Navami rally in Hyderabad. (Sumit Jha/South First)
“The central disciplinary committee of the BJP revoked the suspension of Shri T Raja Singh MLA Gosha Mahal from the BJP after due consideration of his explanation in response to the show-cause notice served by the party,” the BJP stated.
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.
Since then, Singh has been staying 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.
Singh, who has more than 150 criminal cases against him, was the only BJP candidate to win the Assembly elections in 2018. All others lost.
In keeping with his penchant for setting a divisive agenda, Singh recently warned organisers of the ongoing Navaratri garba events in Hyderabad against allowing non-Hindus into the venues.
In a letter sent on his behalf, he asked event organisers in Goshamahal constituency limits to be alert and prevent the entry of people who indulge in the so-called “Love Jihad”, although he did not name any particular community.
The subject line of Singh’s letter stated: “Requesting not to make entry of non-Hindus at your Dandiya Nights event.”
“A lot of Love Jihad cases are seen every day and a huge rise of such Love Jihad cases starts from interaction at dandiya events. Navratri Dandiya is a cultural festival of the Hindu religion where we pray to Goddess Durga,” the letter read.
“I urge the organisers to apply a tilak on the forehead of everyone entering the event. Check the Aadhaar card of the people who are entering the event. Do not allow people from other communities who are involved in Love Jihad. Make sure that the bouncers belong to the Hindu community only. Our motto is to save Hindu sisters from love jihad,” it said.
The letter also added that a team of 100 Hindu karyakartas (workers) would be deployed at the dandiya venues.
My Warning to Garba / Dandiya Organisers of Bhagyanagar – #Hyderabad.
It is the demand of the entire Hindu community that when #Navaratri begins and #Garba / #Dandia is played, participants should be from the Hindu community only.
We have received extensive information that… pic.twitter.com/nZ1eWYcQQQ
— Laddu Yadav 🇮🇳 (Modi Ka Parivar) (@LadduYadavBJP) October 12, 2023
Since his suspension, Singh addressed several gatherings in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and parts of Telangana where he delivered multiple inflammatory speeches.
In April, this 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 march on 30 March.
Leading the procession, Singh took an oath to make India a Hindu Rashtra (nation).
Suspended BJP MLA @TigerRajaSingh during Ram Navmi Shobha Yatra in #Hyderabad along with his followers took oath to make India #HinduRashtra.@TheSouthfirst pic.twitter.com/6UJA31AbwH
— Sumit Jha (@sumitjha__) March 30, 2023
“I, Raja Singh, am taking this oath to make India Akhand Hindu Rashtra. Till the time India will not become a Hindu Rashtra, I will not sit quietly,” he said.
Singh then went on to invoke the so-called Love Jihad.
“I will protect the saints and I will reply to Love Jihad boldly, and will not let conversations happen. I will not let cow slaughter happen. I am giving my life for the Hindu Rashtra, and will not divide (the nation) based on caste and politics. Till my last breath, I have only one motive: Hindu Rashtra,” he said.
Talking about the constitution of the Hindu Rashtra, he said that only Hindus would be given the right to vote.
While thanking his supporters on social media who joined the Adilabad rally in June this year, Singh called the place “Edula Puram.”
“The arts of Kashi would have been Mathura Masjid,” said Singh, urging the crowd to set aside everything and work for Hindutva.
Given his popularity and mass appeal not only in his constituency Goshamahal but also elsewhere in the country, the BJP central leadership was expected not to take any decision against Singh.
Goshamahal in Hyderabad was the lone seat won by the BJP in the 2018 Assembly election, and the credit goes to Singh, whose suspension has not dented his popularity. The party subsequently won two by-elections, taking its strength in the 119-seat Assembly to three.
Denying him a ticket from Goshamahal and handing over the constituency to any other candidate might spell trouble for the BJP.
Senior party leader Eatala Rajender, too, had met Singh amidst talk that he was in a mood to move on from the BJP, though the suspended leader himself vehemently denied any such intention.
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