This Article is From Jul 10, 2017

Amid Bengal Tension, BJP Legislator Invokes Gujarat Riots In Hate Speech

In a venomous message that the lawmaker put out on social media, Raja Singh accused the Mamata Banerjee government for allowing rioters run amok in Bengal 1,500 km away and invoked the 2002 riots in Gujarat.

Amid Bengal Tension, BJP Legislator Invokes Gujarat Riots In Hate Speech

BJP legislator T Raja Singh accused Mamata Banerjee of allowing rioters run amok in Bengal.

Hyderabad: A controversial BJP lawmaker from Hyderabad T Raja Singh has jumped into the political slugfest between his party and West Bengal's Trinamool Congress government.

In a venomous message that the lawmaker put out on social media, Raja Singh accused the Mamata Banerjee government of allowing rioters run amok in Bengal 1,500 km away and invoked the 2002 riots in Gujarat.

But this isn't the first time the 39-year-old BJP leader, and a self-declared gau rakshak or cow vigilante, has made a hate speech. In April this year, he talked about his willingness to murder people who opposed the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The Telangana police had then registered a case against the legislator on a complaint under a provision that penalises actions intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. But he isn't deterred by police cases.

Just last year, the lawmaker had declared he was ready to kill people who eat beef. He landed in another controversy when he commented that Dalits flogged in Gujarat's Una had to "face such consequences" if they indulged in cow slaughter.

Around the time that he had filed his nominations in the 2014 elections, the lawmaker had declared he had 19 criminal cases for rioting, attempt to murder and creating mischief.

Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan told NDTV that such serial hatemongers should have been booked under more stringent provisions and locked up. Mr Bhushan said the lawmaker should be immediately arrested for the latest hate speech and charged with making speeches to disturb communal harmony.

Pavan Varma of the Janata Dal (United) appeared to agree. "All those who are instigating the violence need to be arrested and put behind the bars," he said.
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