Thane: Telangana BJP MLA T Raja, who often makes headlines for his controversial statements, has come under the limelight once again for making provocative comments at a Hindu Dharma Sabha that was organised alongside a Saint Sammelan in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi taluka on Sunday, June 16.
"India would have turned into a Hindu Rashtra had the BJP crossed 400 seats in the recently held Lok Sabha elections whose results were announced on June 4," Raja said at the event in the presence of Balayogi Sadananda Maharaj, Mahant Shir Chidanand Saraswati, Swami Govindgiri, Mahant Shri Phulnath Baba, and Shri Shivrupanand Swami.
Besides this controversial claim, he also vouched that resolutions such as the Prohibition of Conversion Act should be passed, and the Wakf Board Act should be repealed. "Anti-Love Jihad Act must be passed, and ban on cow slaughter should be enforced at the earliest. Also, illegal land encroachment should be removed," he added.
Lashing out at the condition in Maharashtra, he claimed that maths and temples are not safe in the state. "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj won 370 forts for us. Unfortunately, mosques and dargahs have been built on 100 such forts now. I demand that such dargahs be destroyed immediately," he added.
Adding fuel to fire right before Eid al-Adha or Bakri Eid on June 17, he demanded a ban on the Central Waqf Council. "The council owns one lakh acres of land in Maharashtra and 10 lakh acres of land in the country. The council must be abolished and hospitals, playgrounds, colleges, and houses should be constructed for Hindus on those lands," he added.
The Central Waqf Council is a statutory entity created by the Indian government under the Waqf Act, a subset of the Waqf Act, 1995. Its establishment was intended to provide advice on issues concerning the effective administration of the Waqfs throughout India and the operations of the State Waqf Boards.
Attacking the minorities in the country, Raja charged Muslims of carrying out 'love jihad' rampantly. Questioning the lack of an existing law on love jihad, cow slaughter and conversion cases in Maharashtra, he warned Hindus that if they did not unite as a community, India would never turn out to be a 'Hindu nation'.
Mocking Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, he questioned why Shinde is afraid of taking strong steps despite the support of the Hindu society. "The Malanggad mausoleum which Maharashtra government refers to as Haji Malanggad should be immediately liberated as the Hindus believe it to be a temple," he added.
Malanggad mausoleum, also known as Haji Malang Dargah, is claimed by some Hindus to be a temple. This issue was addressed by CM Shinde in January, and he pledged to "liberate" the 300-year-old shrine dedicated to Baba Abdur Rehman Malang, a Sufi saint who arrived in India from the Middle East in 12th century AD.
In response, Asaduddin Owaisi, the head of AIMIM, had lashed out at Shinde and connected the Malang Dargah issue to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir movement.
Sparking communal slogans, Raja also said: Jo Hindu hit ki baat karega vah Maharashtra par raj karega. (Only those who speak in favour of Hindus will rule Maharashtra).
National Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) candidate Suresh Mahatre alias Balya Mama lashed out at former Union Minister Kapil Patil for organising this event a day ahead of the Bakri Eid festival (Eid al-Adha) on June 17. "Patil is plotting to create communal tension in the city and riots in Bhiwandi," Mahatre added.
Singh has more than 105 police cases registered against him, out of which 18 to 20 are for creating communal tension. "Bhiwandi is a Muslim-majority city and chances of riots breaking out are common with such hate speeches being made by a MLA," Mahatre said.
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