Uttam welcomes Raja Singh’s arrest under PD Act, demands cancellation of Assembly membership

Hyderabad, August 25: Welcoming the arrest of suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh under PD Act for his derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed, Congress MP & former TPCC President Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday demanded that Raja Singh’s membership from Telangana Assembly be cancelled.

“It is completely outrageous that the BJP MLA made derogatory remarks against the religious head of a community and tried to get away easily. This is not acceptable in any civilised society, any modern country and 21st century India,” Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged in a media statement on Thursday.

Accusing the TRS Govt of shielding Raja Singh, he said Raja Singh should’ve been arrested under PD Act long back and his membership in Telangana Legislative Assembly should have been terminated for his communal and anti-Constitutional acts. However, Raja Singh is still enjoying the patronage of the BJP and support from the TRS Govt, he alleged.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Telangana Police calls itself the best in the country and deployed all resources to track the activities of opposition leaders. But they failed to notice a provocative video uploaded and circulated by the BJP MLA. It should’ve booked a ‘suo moto’ case against Raja Singh within hours after he uploaded the controversial video. However, he said Hyderabad Police came into action only after protests erupted in different parts of the State. Further, he said a weak FIR was registered and due procedures were not followed in the arrest. Consequently, Raja Singh got bail within a few hours after the arrest, he said.

The Congress MP said Raja Singh was a listed ‘history sheeter’ and a habitual offender. “The affidavit filed by Raja Singh in the 2018 Assembly elections shows that as many as 43 criminal cases are pending against him. They include nearly 15 cases related to hate speeches. Of 43 cases, almost 30 cases were registered under the TRS regime. It is highly shameful that the Telangana Police, as per the affidavit, did not file a chargesheet in as many as 28 out of 43 cases. This clearly shows that the TRS Govt gave license to Raja Singh to spew venom against a community and spread hatred in the society,” he alleged.

Further, Uttam Kumar Reddy said BJP MLA was acquitted in 36 cases including a case of an attempt to murder one police personnel. He said the Hyderabad Police made no serious efforts to prove charges against Raja Singh and he got acquitted due to lack of evidence. Shockingly, the TRS Govt did not file for appeal in the higher court and let Raja Singh go scot-free.

The Congress MP said that the TRS Govt delayed the arrest of the BJP MLA under PD Act to trigger protests by the Muslim youth. “TRS, BJP and MIM have hatched a dangerous plan to vitiate the atmosphere in Hyderabad. Now Hyderabad Police have started targetting the youth who participated in the protests. For strange reasons, all markets in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad were ordered to be closed by 8 pm to instill fear among common people. In the garb of foiling the protest, police have taken hundreds of youth into custody. Several shocking videos of police brutality have been in circulation since Wednesday. These unpleasant developments just before the beginning of the Ganesh festival are not a good sign. TRS, BJP and MIM must stop playing with the lives of common people by pushing them into the fire of communalism,” he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy urged Telangana Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy to terminate the membership of Raja Singh as MLA under Article 194 and other relevant provisions. “TRS, BJP and MIM must restrain from using communal violence as a tool to gain political mileage. This will spoil the image of Brand Hyderabad and affect everyone in the longer run,” he said while appealing to the youth to maintain peace and prevent themselves from being used as a tool by some communal politicians. (Maxim News)

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