From his scathing attack on the BJP as a Congress leader to allegations of sexual harassment that he faced, J&K minister Lal Singh is not new to controversy.
New Delhi: J&K forest minister Lal Singh, who allegedly exhorted Hindu Ekta Manch members to continue protesting against the arrest of the Kathua rape accused, is not new to controversy.
From once comparing Narendra Modi to a dog and a bull — a reference to pedigree — to allegedly reminding a group of Gujjars of what happened in 1947 — a purported reference to the massacre of Muslims (Singh later denied making any such remark) — to allegedly touching a young doctor inappropriately during a visit to a government hospital, Singh has made news several times in the past, although for wrong reasons.
The minister also once termed the BJP as a party of “thieves, biggest black-marketeers and hoarders”.
Incidentally, when Singh was in the Congress — he was a minister in the PDP-Congress government and a Congress Lok Sabha MP until 2014 — he was often seen lurking around Rahul Gandhi. And he would often tell journalists talking to him inside Parliament that he had Rahul Gandhi’s “complete faith”.
He quit the Congress after being denied the party’s mandate for the Udhampur-Doda constituency but not before he had ensured the defeat of his replacement — current leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad — from the constituency.
What did he say on the Kathua rape?
Singh was the one who made the damning speech in Dogri, telling Hindu Ekta Manch protesters in a speech at Kathua last month, “If you launch an agitation, do it with full force or sit at home…So what if a girl has been killed? So many girls have been killed earlier and nobody ever bothered.”
While Singh was not the only minister to address a rally in Kathua in March – his BJP colleague and commerce and industries minister Chander Prakash Ganga was also present as were some party MLAs — it was he who made the most controversial speech.
He also took potshots at the PDP-BJP alliance in J&K, telling PDP leaders not to “forget that the BJP was one-half partner in the state government”.
“They (PDP) make fun of us in the assembly. What they should remember is if half of the government (BJP) walks out, the other half will also go,” he said.
Wondering why the state government was not ready to hand over the investigation in the Kathua case to the CBI, he assured the cheering crowd, “We (BJP) are with you. If you have sought a CBI inquiry, it will happen. You need to stay strong.”
Blast from the past
In an interview to a TV journalist before he switched sides, Singh had talked of Modi’s pedigree and described how he was not even a patch on Rahul.
In a seething attack on the BJP, he had referred to it as a party of hoarders of essential items. Singh had also made it clear that he doesn’t think Modi will ever become Prime Minister. He said:
“Kahan Raja Bhoj, kahan Gangu teli? Kahan Modi ko mila rahe ho Rahul Gandhi ke saath? Hum toh kutta bhi rakhte hain uski nasal dekhte hain, bhaiya. Jaanwar rakhte hain, na, tagga, hal chalane ke liye? … agar wo ulti naal wala, bade tor wala, bade paon wala ho toh usko nahin hum rakhte… Jiski atta-pata bhi koi nahin… jab leader rakhna hai, usko dekhega koi nahin, kya?
(How can you compare a king to an oil-seller? How can you compare Modi with Rahul Gandhi? Even when we buy a dog, we check its breed and lineage first. Similarly, when we buy a bull for ploughing the fields, we first check whether it is fit to do the hard work. We never buy a bull whose hooves are not right. How can we have a leader whose hereditary background is unknown?)”
He didn’t stop at that.
“Mujhe bada afsos hai ke yeh Modi ab kuch bhi kehta hai. Pehle Ram bane the. Aapko yaad hai, pehle Advaniji ne rath yatra nikali, Ram banne chale… Ab jo leader bhagwan banega, woh kabhi Prime Minister banega?…Koi bhi nahin ban payega. Ab aa gaye Modi saab. Mein dekh raha tha, sar par mukut rakha hua, ek haath mein sudarshan chakra. Shakal dekhi iski, Bhagwan Krishna ban raha hai. Humare Hinduon ko bhi yeh samajh nahin aa rahi… Hamare logon ki sharafat hai ke apne bhagwanon ko inke aage charra rahe hain. This is a shame.
(I am sorry to say that this man Modi is saying anything that he wants. Do you remember, Advaniji took out the rath yatra, wanted to become Lord Ram…any leader who pretends to be like a God can never become Prime Minister. Now Modi is trying the same. I was watching Modi with a crown on his head, Lord Krishna’s sudarshan chakra in one hand. Have you seen his face? And, he wants to be Lord Krishna. Our Hindus are unable to understand this…But it is the good nature of our people (Hindus) that we are allowing such people to use our gods like this).”
BJP’s blue-eyed boy
Ironically, months after these remarks lampooning Modi and the BJP, Singh not only joined the party, but also contested the assembly elections, won and was inducted in the cabinet.
In March 2015, a woman doctor had sought registration of a case against him for allegedly misbehaving with her.
But, for a man, the demand for whose ouster from the government has split the alliance and could even bring an end to the PDP-BJP government, Singh has strong backing in the party, including from Union minister Jitendra Singh — the man who defeated Azad in 2014, thanks to Lal Singh.