After quitting BJP, Raja Singh vows a more aggressive Hindutva fight, weighing options: BRS, Congress or staying put

Singh, 48, started his political career in 2009 with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Until a few days ago, Thakur Raja Singh was the firebrand Hindutva poster boy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana.

Now, a former BJP leader and sitting MLA from Goshamahal in Hyderabad, he released a three-minute video message reflecting on his eleven-year journey in the party, starting as a rank-and-file worker and becoming a three-time MLA. However, the video conveyed a sense of disappointment. A media friend had informed him that the BJP national president, JP Nadda, had accepted his resignation. Singh sounded more hurt than defiant, saying that the party did not even bother to hear him out.

Despite this setback, Singh made it clear that he is not stepping away from his ideological battle or from public life. He strongly vowed to continue his fight for Hindutva against what he calls ‘anti-India forces’ and ‘love jihad,’ and added that his next phase would be even more aggressive.

Raja Singh resigned after weeks of problems within the party. On June 30, he sent a resignation letter to Kishan Reddy, the Telangana BJP president, expressing his disappointment that he was not allowed to run for the state party president position. The BJP high command chose to nominate N Ramachander Rao without opposition, following their practice of consensus in elections.

Singh felt overlooked. He wanted to lead the state unit and had also aimed to be the BJP legislature party leader in the Assembly, a position that went to Maheshwar Reddy instead. Singh, known for his fiery speeches and grassroots support in the Muslim-dominated Old City of Hyderabad, saw these rejections as betrayals.

When his resignation reached Delhi, many, including Singh, thought the central leadership would ask him to stay. However, on July 11, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh sent a letter stating that Raja Singh’s reasons for resigning were “irrelevant” and not in line with the party's principles, and his resignation was accepted immediately.

Singh, 48, started his political career in 2009 with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). He won a seat as a corporator in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation from Mangalhat. In 2013, he joined the BJP and won the Goshamahal seat in 2014, repeating this success in 2018 and 2023. Over the years, Singh became known in Telangana politics for his strong support of Hindutva in Hyderabad's Old City, where many north Indian and Gujarati Hindus live alongside a large Muslim community. He led rallies during Hanuman Jayanti and Ganesh Chaturthi, calling himself the protector of Hindus, and earned the nickname Hindu Hriday Samrat from his supporters. However, his career has had its share of controversy.

In August 2022, the BJP suspended him after he made inflammatory comments about Islam during a stand-up comedy show by Munawar Faruqui. More than 100 FIRs have been filed against him, mostly for hate speech. Despite this, he was reinstated before the 2023 Assembly elections, during which he retained his seat.

Raja Singh's position in the Assembly is uncertain. He has not resigned yet, and the BJP has not asked the Speaker to disqualify him. Singh is carefully considering his next steps.

Political watchers see three main options for him: First, he could run in a by-election for Goshamahal with a different party. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) may support him, as he is popular among Hindu voters in the area. Second, he could join Congress, either directly or through an ally like Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT). This would let Congress back him unofficially while keeping its candidate out of the race, which would help avoid splitting the anti-BJP vote. Third, Singh might choose not to run in a by-election at all. He could retain his MLA seat while resisting any attempts by the BJP to remove him through the Speaker, who is from the Congress party and may not expedite the process.

His departure is a challenging situation for the BJP in Telangana. With upcoming elections for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and bypolls in Jubilee Hills, losing a well-known figure like Singh could weaken the party's support in the city. However, some party members feel relieved. A senior BJP leader said they were tired of his tantrums. They admitted that it would be a bit challenging in Goshamahal, but the party is ready to fight.

Raja Singh is currently on a pilgrimage in North India. He plans to meet with his supporters soon to discuss his next steps.