Journalism of Courage
BJP LEADER from Telangana, T Raja Singh, was suspended by the party and arrested by the state police on Tuesday for delivering remarks against the Prophet in a video posted on social media. Raja Singh, who is the BJP MLA from Goshamahal in Hyderabad, also faces expulsion from the party, which has issued him a show cause notice asking him to submit a written reply by September 2.
The development comes two months after the BJP suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi leader Naveen Kumar Jindal for their remarks on the Prophet. Sharma’s comments, in a TV show, had triggered an international backlash, mainly from countries in the Middle East.
Raja Singh was taken into custody from his residence by a task force under the Hyderabad Police Commissioner and produced before the 14th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court. However, the court rejected the police’s remand application, stating that they did not serve a notice under CrPC section 41A before arresting him.
The court ordered Raja Singh to be released on the condition that he would not leave the city and would seek permission from the police before stepping out of his home. The court said that he is not a flight risk since he is an elected member of the Legislative Assembly. Officials said they would pull down the video in question.
Raja Singh claimed that his remarks were part of a “comedy video” made in response to a show held in Hyderabad by stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui. Faruqui has faced multiple protests from pro-Hindutva groups after being in jail for a month in Indore last year on charges of hurting religious sentiments. He performed in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Hyderabad DCP (South Zone) Sai Chaitanya said Raja Singh was booked under IPC sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings); 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony); 505 (1) (b) (statement with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public); and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).
In a letter sent to Raja Singh, Om Pathak, the member secretary of BJP’s central disciplinary committee, said the Telangana leader “expressed views contrary to the Party’s position on various matters, which is in clear violation of Rule XXV 10 (a) of constitution of the Bharatiya Janata Party”.
“I have been directed to convey to you that pending further inquiry, you are suspended from the party and from your responsibilities/ assignments if any, with immediate effect,” the letter stated.
“Please also show cause within 10 days from the date of this notice as to why you should not be expelled from the party. Your detailed reply must reach the undersigned no later than 2nd of September 2022,” it stated.
Rule XXV 10 (a) of the BJP constitution states that “acting or carrying on propaganda against any programme or decision of the party” would be considered as breach of discipline.
Speaking to reporters, Raja Singh said: “I don’t understand on what basis the police registered the FIR because I did not take the name of any particular community. My video was aimed at Faruqui and I stand by my words, and I did not hurt anyone’s sentiments. This was the first part of the video, there will be a second video, too.”
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, whose party is an ally of the ruling TRS, condemned Raja Singh’s remarks and said “the BJP is conspiring to disturb law and order in Hyderabad and Telangana”.
“Why are they bent on creating trouble in peaceful Telangana? There are so many issues that BJP can address, like rising unemployment and inflation. Instead, they are causing law and order problems with irresponsible statements,” Owaisi said.
Telangana Congress chief M Bhatti Vikramarka condemned Raja Singh’s remarks and demanded that the BJP “should not protect him”.
BJP state leaders refused to comment on the issue. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said the police have taken action by registering an FIR. “The law will take its own course,” he said.
Raja Singh had been banned by Facebook in September 2020 “for violating its policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on the platform”.
His remarks on the Prophet come at a delicate time for the BJP, which is pushing to emerge as an alternative political force in Telangana.
Speaking to The Indian Express, BJP leaders said Singh’s remarks have embarrassed the party and deviated attention from its aggressive campaign against the ruling TRS and the Opposition Congress on key issues such as corruption and dynasty politics. The remarks also go against the stated position of the party on controversial comments on religious personalities, they said.
The leaders said Raja Singh is “an important and hard working leader with ground level support” — but “he should have stayed within limits”.
Referring to the action taken against Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, a senior national BJP leader said, “When the party has taken a stand and suspended its national spokesperson and others for similar remarks, how could he (Raja Singh) take it lightly? Why should he put the party in such a difficult situation? What was the need to make these remarks?”
According to the leader, the party had sent an internal note to its state units and leaders, including spokespersons, strictly asking them to refrain from making any “derogatory remarks against religious personalities”.
Asked if Raja Singh’s remarks had dented the BJP’s plans in Telangana, the leader said: “It’s not a question of our plans being affected. It’s more about discipline. You can personally respect or not respect personalities of other religions. But when there is an instruction from the Central leadership to avoid such remarks, one should not have done this. On that count, he has violated party discipline.”
In June, following the remarks by Sharma and Jindal, BJP general secretary Arun Singh had issued a statement saying that the party “strongly denounces insults of any religious personalities of any religion” and is “against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion”.
According to another senior BJP leader, Raja Singh’s “remarks, which have come before tempers over the Nupur Sharma incident have cooled down, was too much for the party to afford”.
“Especially in the south, the BJP would have to pay a huge price for inaction against such leaders. Raja Singh has gotten away with too many controversial statements, but no longer,” the leader said.
However, the BJP would also be wary after its action against Sharma and Jindal led to murmurs of dissent in some sections of the party against “surrendering under the pressure of Islamic nations and groups”.
Senior party leaders had maintained at the time that the party would not tolerate remarks against the Prophet. “There have been controversial remarks, some of them inflammatory, and the Opposition keeps accusing us of polarising society for electoral gains. The party leadership could ignore them. But comments against religious personalities cannot be accepted,” a party leader had said.
