Telangana’s BJP MLA T Raja Singh has started a new controversy by declaring that he won’t be taking oath as a new MLA on Saturday after AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi was appointed as the pro-tem speaker of the house. The pro-tem serves a temporary role in the house and presides over the oath-taking of the new members, after which the permanent speaker is selected by the members of the house.
T Raja Singh told the Indian Express, “I am not going to take the oath if Akbaruddin is sitting in the Speaker’s chair. Akbar is the product of Qasim Razvi, the head of the Nizam’s Razakar army, which massacred Telangana people.”
Talking to ANI, the firebrand BJP leader said, “It is very unfortunate. After Congress formed the government & Revanth Reddy became the CM, Congress’ real face has come to the fore. Every time Revanth Reddy used to make a statement that BJP AIMIM & BRS are one but the people of Telangana have known who is with whom”.
He said that he would not take oath under a person who had said that Muslims would eliminate Hindus in India if police forces were removed for just 15 minutes. We will not take oath under a person who influences people to eat beef, Singh added.
Akbaruddin Owaisi in the year 2012 had made a highly inflammatory speech asking to remove the police for 15 minutes so that he could finish off 100 crore Hindus. A case was lodged against him in the mater, but he was acquitted in April last year. He repeated the 2012 speech in 2019 too.
T Raja Singh said, “We will boycott tomorrow, will not participate in the oath-taking ceremony in front of Akbaruddin Owaisi”. He added that he will take oath in the speaker’s chamber the next day after the new speaker of the Telangana assembly is selected.
He also informed that a parliamentary party meeting will be held tomorrow morning to decide whether his personal opinion on the matter is also the opinion of the party. BJP has won 8 seats in the assembly polls, and the other seven MLAs have not made any comment on boycotting the assembly on its first day.
Earlier in the day, Governor Tamilisai Soundararjan notified the selection of Akbaruddin as the pro-tem speaker for being the senior-most legislator in the House. The AIMIM leader has won for the sixth time from Chandrayangutta. He will remain as speaker only for Saturday, after which the MLAs are expected to select the new speaker of the house under Article 178 of the Constitution of India. His only role will be officiating the Assembly session until the newly-elected members are sworn in and a Speaker is elected. The seniormost member is generally appointed the proterm speaker.
