Gorakhpur (UP), Oct 28 (PTI) Former BJP MLA Raghavendra Pratap Singh has sparked a controversy with his alleged remarks in which he offered to cover marriage expenses and provide jobs to Hindu youths who “bring ten Muslim girls and make them Hindu” to avenge two Hindu girls reportedly marrying Muslim men.
Singh, a former MLA from Domariyaganj assembly constituency in Siddharth Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, made the remarks at a gathering in Dhankharpur village on October 16.
As a video of the speech went viral, the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress demanded action against the former MLA for the “inflammatory” and “shameful” remarks.
In the speech in Hindi, Singh said, “If a Hindu girl goes with a Muslim boy, is it not an insult to the whole Hindu community? “If two have gone, then … bringing two is not enough. Bring at least ten Muslim girls and make them Hindu, and we will bear all expenses of marriage, give security and provide a job for a comfortable livelihood.” He also said that during previous governments, Hindus lived in fear, but under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s rule, there is no need to be scared anymore.
The statement has drawn flak from opposition parties, with BSP chief Mayawati demanding strict action against elements spreading communal and casteist hatred.
“The latest narrow-minded and hateful statement of ‘bring a Muslim girl, get a job’, and elements spreading communal and casteist hatred, unrest, anarchy in UP, Uttarakhand, and other states in the name of religious conversion, love jihad… and taking the law into their own hands is highly condemnable,” the former chief minister said on X.
Such criminal, anarchic and anti-social elements pose an open challenge to the government. Instead of providing them support and protection, governments should take strict legal action against such people to ensure the establishment of the rule of law in the broader interest of the public and the nation, she said.
The Congress slammed the remarks as “shameful”, accusing the BJP of spreading hatred and dividing society on religious lines.
Samajwadi Party MLA from Domariyaganj, Saiyada Khatoon said the comments were “beyond tolerance, utterly misogynistic and blatant objectification of women”.
Demanding action against Singh, she said, “This statement is an insult to women and openly demeans them. It targets a particular religion and may be part of his political agenda, but such comments against women are truly disgraceful.” Asked about the furore over his remarks, Singh remained defiant before media persons and repeated the controversial comments. PTI COR NAV RT RT
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