Hyderabad: The city police department replaced the BR (bulletproof) vehicle of Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh and provided him with a white coloured Fortuner bullet resistant vehicle on Monday. The vehicle was sent to his residence.
However, the MLA is out of town on some personal work and police department officials communicated to him about the decision to replace his old black car with a white coloured vehicle. BJP Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh, who is currently still under suspension, is reportedly also exploring all options including contesting as ondependent candidate from Amberpet constituency once held by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.
Earlier, Raja Singh held a protest demanding his vehicle be replaced because it is developing snags. In early February, Raja Singh held a protest outside chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao’s official residence Pragathi Bhavan. The Goshamahal left his car there after one of the tyres came-off while he was commuting. The next day, he went to the Legislative Assembly on his motorcycle.
Raja Singh reportedly faces a security threat and has been provided with a BR vehicle and has also been extended with a 2 + 2 security cover. Raja Singh is also currently facing a gag order from the Telangana high court, which doesn’t allow him to hold rallies or public events in the state.
With state elections approaching in the next six months, Raja Singh has managed to circumvent the gag order by participating in Hindutva rallies outside the state. He has been doing the same from the last few weeks in Maharashtra. It has been learnt that the two-time Goshamahal MLA is reportedly exploring all options, including contesting as an independent candidate from Amberpet constituency that was earlier held by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy in Hyderabad.
BJP looking at other faces for Goshamahal?
Sources closer to the MLA said Raja Singh is quite confident of his win from Goshamahal or Amberpet seat in 2023 assembly elections. The Goshamahal constituency has six sitting BJP corporators and at least two of them are aspiring to get an MLA ticket from the party because already Raja Singh contested twice.
Raj Singh is currently out on bail after he was arrested for his derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad last year, which led to several protests. While quashing Singh’s detention in jail under the PD Act last year, the High Court, as part of its bail order, warned the BJP MLA was told not to make provocative speeches or speak in public.
So far, a case has already been registered against him in recent times for violating the court orders (with the Mangalhat police station). He was served another notice by the Hyderabad police on January 29 for a hate speech in Mumbai. Raja Singh is currently unable to carry out political campaigns or hold public rallies as he would have ideally done in the run-up to the polls. It is unsure how the state judiciary will react to him making speeches outside, with the logic that it is beyond the HC’s jurisdiction.
BJP exploring other options?
On the other hand, sources also told Siasat.com that the BJP state leadership reportedly interacted some members of the Lodh Kshatriya community, which Raja Singh belongs to. Sources said at least two members of the community had evinced interest in contesting the elections this year from Goshamahal if the party gives them a ticket. Nevertheless, community elders however said they don’t want any conflict in the community over politics.
