Raja Singh recently stirred controversy by accusing the state BJP leadership of holding secret talks with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy
Hyderabad: The Telangana BJP leadership and the party’s Goshamahal MLA T. Raja Singh have been playing cat and mouse with each other, with neither the party able to convince the defiant leader nor the MLA willing to align with the state leadership. The friction has only deepened over time, with Singh frequently criticising the party’s decisions while the leadership struggles to bring him into the fold.
Raja Singh recently stirred controversy by accusing the state BJP leadership of holding secret talks with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. Despite being the party’s sole legislator from the GHMC limits, he alleged that he had been sidelined in key party affairs, including the recent Sangathan Parv, during which new city unit heads were appointed.
His absence from major party events has also been conspicuous, including a public meeting addressed by Union home minister Amit Shah during the Lok Sabha elections.
The recent rebellion by Raja Singh targeting the old guard within his own party, accusing them of betraying the BJP, has its roots in the recent organizational elections conducted by the party. Raja Singh expressed frustration over the appointment of a new district president for the Golconda-Goshamahal unit, by arguing that the post should have been given to a leader from the BC or SC community. He went to the extent of charging the state leadership that a person associated with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), was appointed as Golconda unit president.
Raja Singh said that he called a senior party leader to question the decision, but was told that he too was not aware of the election process. "The answer clearly exposed a secret conspiracy against me and made me realise that I have to fight rivals within the party, besides political rivals – AIMIM and Congress,” he claimed.
Singh pointed out that he was humiliated in the party. The recommendations of other MLAs and MPs in the district are honored while selecting the district presidents, but I was ignored," he remarked.
Calling for a shake-up in the party’s leadership, he urged the BJP’s national leadership to remove ‘old baggage’ to strengthen the party and pave the way for a "double-engine government" in Telangana. He further alleged that he had been systematically humiliated within the party. “Recommendations from other MLAs and MPs were considered while appointing district presidents, but I was ignored,” he said.
The state BJP leadership is tight-lipped on the charges made by Raja Singh, with the only response coming from Union minister of state for mome Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who advised the MLA to raise his concerns within party forums.
