T Raja Singh, a suspended BJP leader and MLA from Goshamahal, Hyderabad, has made a controversial statement about Muslims that could harm communal harmony. In a video that has gone viral on social media, Singh can be seen suggesting that Hindu women should not befriend burkha-clad women. He says that only Hindus should be befriended.
Singh had been suspended in August 2022 after making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad. He was arrested under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act, but was released on conditional bail after the Telangana High Court placed certain conditions on his release, including not making inflammatory comments in public or holding public meetings.
Singh has been in the news for hate speech incidents before. In April 2023, he was booked by the Shahinayathgunj police for allegedly delivering a hate speech during a Sri Rama Navami Shobha Yatra procession in Hyderabad. Singh has denied any wrongdoing and says he is only reiterating his demand for a Hindu Rashtra.
Singh’s controversial statement about Muslim women has drawn criticism from many quarters. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has said that Singh will soon be back in the BJP, but it remains to be seen how his latest remarks will affect his political career.
