Mumbai: Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh’s statement about Hindu Rashtra has caused an uproar in Maharashtra with the opposition accusing him of stoking riots in Maharashtra. The saffron party's ally the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has also slammed him saying he was not aware of the country's constitution.
Speaking at the Hindu Dharma Sabha at Bhiwandi, Singh said, "I don't want to talk about politics. But if Hindus do not unite, Hindu Rashtra cannot be declared. Had the BJP won more than 400 seats in the recently held Lok Sabha polls, India would have been declared a Hindu Rashtra.”
The BJP MLA also alleged that masjids and durgahs have been built on 100 forts in Maharashtra and urged chief minister Eknath Shinde to remove them. “Why there is no law on love jihad, cow slaughter and conversion in Maharashtra?” he asked.
Raja Singh also demanded that the Waqf Board should be abolished. “In Maharashtra, one lakh acres of land is owned by the Waqf Board. In India, the Waqf Board owns 10 lakh acres of land. The Waqf Board Act should be revoked and the land owned by the Waqf Board should be used to build hospitals, playgrounds, colleges and houses for Hindus,” he said.
Amol Mitkari, an MLC from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, who is an ally of the BJP in the Mahayuti government, slammed Raja Singh's remarks saying Hindu Rashtra cannot be declared even if one crosses 500 seats.
“Raja may not know that there is a democracy and this country has a constitution! This is Akhand Bharat and it will remain unbroken! Raja must also have forgotten (Lord) Krishna's sermon 'Glanirbhavati Bharat," Mitkari posted on X.
Raja should study and remember that whoever is in power, this country will remain only India' nation. It will not become a Hindu or Islam nation, Mitkari added.
The newly elected NCP MP from Bhiwandi Suresh Mhatre alleged that the BJP wanted to stoke riots in Maharashtra by holding Raja’s rallies in the state.
“More than 105 cases have been registered against T Raja Singh, while 18 to 20 cases are related to creating communal tension. Then why was this event organized in the background of Bakri Eid festival of Muslims? The BJP is plotting to create communal tension in the city and riots in Bhiwandi,” Mhatre said.
