Remove BJP MLA Raja Singh from Assembly: Concerned Hyd citizens to Speaker

Hyderabad: Some residents of Hyderabad on 25 August appealed to the Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly to remove BJP MLA Raja Singh from the Assembly.

The public appeal was made by retired professors Rama Melkote and Padmaja Shaw, social activist Khalida Parveen, Human Rights Forum representative S. Jeevan Kumar, Mazhar Hussain from COVA peace network, Bro.Varghese from Montfort Social Institute, V. Sandhya from POW, K. Sajaya from Women and Transgender Orgs and JAC, and Varsha Bharghavi from Where are the Women.

"We appeal to the speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly to immediately disbar Raja Singh for publicly stating that he does not follow the Constitution of India, whose very membership of the legislature is subject to his allegiance to the Constitution. We demand that necessary measures be taken to prevent all such speeches, statements and actions likely to promote communal hatred and disturb law and order and peace in the society by any individual," they said.

"After more than a decade, Hyderabad city today is confronted by communal passions deliberately, and persistently, provoked by politicians like Raja Singh," they added.

They also appealed to the state government to immediately arrest Raja Singh saying he was a repeat offender.

Further, they also called for peace in society and urged the public to form peace committees in their neighbourhoods to prevent disharmony. "While condemning hate-mongering for political gains, we as a group of concerned citizens and civil society organisations appeal to the people to not become pawns in this diabolical game. Getting provoked by such statements will strengthen and fulfil the agenda of such politicians. Let us seek justice without strengthening such forces. Riots and curfews will justify greater state repression and invite untold miseries on ordinary citizens, their lives and livelihoods," the group said.