A month after the arrest of firebrand Bharatiya Janata Party MLA T Raja Singh by the Hyderabad police under Preventive Detention Act for making blasphemous comments against Prophet Mohammad, the BJP has started making efforts to get him released from jail on bail.
The party leaders, who initially remained silent following instructions from the party national leadership, have now started speaking in support of Raja Singh due to pressure from the party cadres and Hindu groups.
The Delhi bosses, who suspended the MLA from the party soon after his arrest, have not expelled him from the party, though he did not respond to the show-cause notice even after a month. They, too, appear to have decided to adopt a lenient stand, under pressure from the saffron groups.
Normally, once arrested under the PD Act, one won’t get bail for at least three months. But, BJP state president Bandi Sanjay is learnt to be engaging Supreme Court lawyers and consulting other legal experts to argue Raja Singh’s case in the court so that he can get the bail.
The arrest of Raja Singh under PD Act triggered protests from not only the BJP workers and his followers, but also from VHP, Bajrang Dal and other Hindu outfits who have started bringing pressure on the party to get him released. They are describing Raja Singh’s arrest as an attack on the Hindus.
They wonder why the Hyderabad police had not registered a similar case under PD Act against AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi who openly stated that he would kill Hindus if the police keep away for 15 minutes.
BJP senior leader and actress Vijaya Shanti said the arrest of Raja Singh reflected the vengeful attitude of KCR. Though there is a threat to the BJP MLA’s life in Charlapalli jail, the TRS government is refusing to act, she alleged.
