Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has brushed aside the protests and resignation of its three-time MLA and Hindutva face in Telangana, “Tiger” Raja Singh. In an apparent response to Singh’s public display of dissent, the party said that it “values commitment over charisma, substance over spectacle”.
Referring to newly elected state unit chief N. Ramchander Rao, who filed his nomination papers for the post Monday, Singh alleged party leaders blocked his attempt at nomination.
Angered by Rao’s selection and elevation, Singh announced his resignation from BJP in front of the media. He said he handed his resignation letter to incumbent chief G. Kishan Reddy and asked him to convey the decision to the Assembly speaker, “in order to disqualify him as an MLA too”.
In a strongly worded resignation letter, Singh said the decision to make Rao the next Telangana BJP chief comes “as a shock and disappointment, not just to me, but to lakhs of karyakartas, leaders, and voters who have stood by the party through every high and low”.
The BJP sent out a firm message in a statement on Rao’s appointment as state president “by the high command”.
“At a time when the BJP is looking to expand its footprint in Telangana, this appointment is a clear message: the party values commitment over charisma, substance over spectacle,” the statement issued Monday said, without naming Singh or any other leader.
“While some detractors on social media have attempted to dismiss Rao as a ‘low-profile’ choice, those familiar with the party’s inner workings recognise his credibility, quiet influence, and unshakable dedication to the cause,” the statement read further.
BJP’s Telangana unit also expressed “its heartfelt gratitude to the national leadership—Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Party President J.P. Nadda—for their wise and forward-looking decision”.
A senior state BJP leader told ThePrint that Singh’s resignation letter will be sent to Delhi as he is a sitting MLA. “Everyone in the party is vexed with his un-adjusting attitude and never-ending tantrums. Even Bandi Sanjay tried to convince, talking to Singh two-three times, but he also gave up. You might be popular, can be ambitious, but cannot be sulking all the time over something or other,” said the leader who did not wish to be named.
Singh, who has been winning the Goshamahal seat for BJP since 2014, ran foul of the party leadership in August 2022 for alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad. The party suspended him and he was also jailed for two-and-a-half months for the offence, when the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) was in power in the state.
However, the BJP revoked Singh’s suspension ahead of the 2023 Telangana polls, following declarations by him in August that he would quit politics if not given a BJP ticket.
Singh’s suspension was revoked by BJP’s central disciplinary committee and his candidature was approved by the party’s central election committee comprising party chief J.P. Nadda, PM Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among others.
Party insiders said former state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay had a hand in bringing Singh back into the fold. “How long can Bandi also deal with such a trouble?” asked the leader quoted above.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters Monday on Singh’s allegations, Telangana BJP spokesperson Rani Rudrama said Singh was handed the nomination papers by Union minister Sobha Karandlaje and that state in-charge Abhay Patil also encouraged him to submit his candidature. Karandlaje has been appointed by the party as thereturning official for the election of the state party president. “However, realising that he lacks the support of 10 state council members to contest in the poll, Singh resorted to mud-slinging at the party with lies and false accusations that he was disallowed from contesting,” Rudrama said.
“If Singh really wants to resign from the Assembly, he should submit it directly to the speaker in the prescribed format,” she said.
Rudrama told ThePrint later that Singh’s indiscipline was evident earlier too, on many occasions. “He was also suspended, but the party gave him several chances. This time, he himself has resigned from the BJP.”
Also Read: BJP MLA Raja Singh resigns, accuses party leaders of blocking nomination for post of state chief
