Owaisi attacks BJP over revocation of Telangana MLA Raja Singh's suspension

HYDERABAD: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed the BJP for revoking the suspension of its Telangana MLA T Raja Singh, against whom the party had initiated action last year for his alleged derogatory comments on prophet Mohammed.

He also alleged that hate speech was the fastest way to promotion in BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

''@narendramodi has rewarded his dear "fringe element." Quite sure that Nupur Sharma will also get her blessings from the PM. Hate speech is the fastest way to a promotion in Modi's BJP,'' Owaisi said on X, responding to the lifting of Singh's suspension.

The BJP leadership revoked the suspension of Raja Singh, MLA from Goshamahal in Hyderabad in the outgoing Telangana Legislative Assembly, considering his explanation in response to the show cause notice served by the party earlier, Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy said in a statement on Sunday.

In August last year, Raja Singh was suspended from the party following his alleged controversial remarks against ''Islam and Prophet Mohammed'' in a video which was later pulled down by the social media platform on which it was uploaded. He was arrested under the Preventive Detention Act.

However, the Telangana High Court in November 2022 had set aside the PD Act invoked against him. Later, he was granted bail. Singh, in a video message, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J P Nadda, General Secretary B L Santhosh, Union Minister and Telangana BJP unit chief Kishan Reddy and other state leaders for revoking his suspension.

He also thanked the party leadership for giving him a ticket to contest from his Goshamahal Assembly seat here for the November 30 polls.