Telangana BJP's Only Lawmaker Refuses to Take Oath as Speaker Hails From Owaisi's AIMIM

The BJP’s only candidate who turned victorious in the recent assembly elections in Telangana has stirred row saying that he would not take oath in the presence of the pro-term speaker as the latter is an AIMIM member, the party headed by Asaduddin Owaisi.

“I will not take oath in front of the pro-term speaker as he is from a party which is against Hindus and talks about finishing Hindus. They do not sing Vande Mataram, nor do they say Bharat Maata Ki Jai. Let other MLAs take oath, I shall not," the MLA, Raja Singh said.

Singh, who has been infamous for his polarising comments, said that the chief minister’s decision to appoint AIMIM candidate and a six-time MLA Mumtaz Ahmed Khan as a pro-term speaker is unacceptable.

Mumtaz Khan’s appointment comes amid speculations that AIMIM would possibly get a share in the cabinet considering its friendly relationship with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Singh has been an MLA from Goshamahal, Hyderabad--constituency from the older part of the city which is communally sensitive.

Further, the BJP MLA also said that he would not attend the Assembly session. The Assembly session will be held for four days starting on January. The newly elected MLAs will take oath on the same day.

The BJP, however, distanced itself from Singh’s comments saying that it was his choice.

“It is MLA Raja Singh’s choice. The BJP has nothing to do with it. As an MLA he has the right to choose which session he wants to swear-in. He chose not to swear-in when an AIMIM candidate with wrong antecedents has been made a pro-term speaker by CM KCR," BJP spokesperson Krishnasagar Rao told News18.

The speaker election would be on January 18, up until when the pro-term speaker would be in an active role.

Owaisi’s AIMIM and the BJP have always been at loggerheads and have had a bitter rivalry in the city, specifically in the older part of the city where the Singh has a strong traction.

Polarising comments and communal rivalry has always been framework of the political structure of the two parties in those areas.