New Delhi: Telangana MLA T. Raja Singh, who was suspended from the BJP in August following his alleged derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad, told the party’s disciplinary committee on Monday that he did not violate the relevant rules of the party constitution.
He urged the panel to let him continue to serve the party.
Raja Singh, who has been lodged in a jail in Hyderabad following his arrest on August 25 under the Preventive Detention Act, sent his reply to a show-cause notice issued to him by Om Pathak, member-secretary of BJP’s central disciplinary committee.
Recalling the circumstances preceding his suspension, Raja Singh claimed he neither belittled any religion nor did he criticise the Gods of any religion in a video made by him. ”I did not use abusive or harsh language. I didn’t mention the name of any individual in my video. I didn’t deliberately hurt the sentiments of any religion,” he said.
He claimed that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government “intentionally filed a false case against him” at the behest of the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Singh claimed.
“Since the word ‘Muslim’ is part of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, they are alleging that I am criticising the entire Muslim community… But I have never criticised the Muslim community. I have never made personal comments against them. I, on every occasion, have been exposing the MIM atrocities and its staunch supporter, the TRS,” he claimed.
In his video, he said he ”only imitated Munawar Faruqui” that too based on the information provided on the Internet.
Singh’s caused massive protests in Hyderabad by repeating former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s disparaging remarks about the Prophet. Sharma’s comments saw India face unprecedented diplomatic backlash from several Islamic countries.
He said he believes that he did not violate the BJP’s constitution as mentioned in the disciplinary notice.
Singh requested Pathak to consider his reply to the show-cause notice issued to him and to give him the opportunity to continue to serve the people, the BJP and the nation.
The Goshamahal MLA promised he would not do anything that brings disrespect to the party. He also assured that he will work within the ideology and principles of the party.
Singh was arrested by Hyderabad police on August 23 for his alleged derogatory remarks against the Prophet, following which he was suspended by the saffron party for ”violating” the party’s constitution.
However, he secured bail in the case. He was arrested on August 25 under the Preventive Detention Act. Singh has emerged as the poster boy for Hindutva in Telangana and has several cases – many of them for hate speech – filed against him.
(With PTI inputs)