A video of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) MLA from Uttar Pradesh’s Dumariyagan, Raghvendra Pratap Singh is circulating on social media, where he is seen making Islamophobic comments to garner Hindu votes.
The MLA was campaigning for his party in the ongoing state elections and can be heard making polarising comments on Muslims. The MLA while addressing the people in Dumariyagan asked “Will there be Jai Shri Ram or Walekum Salam?”, People shouted slogans of Jai Shri Ram in response while applauding the MLA’s Islamophobic question.
The incumbent MLA further claimed, “If you make me MLA again, Muslims will stop wearing skullcaps and start putting tilaks.”
He also added that since Muslims were driven away from power, the city has become safer. “No goons, notorious criminals are visible on the streets, anymore,” he claimed.
“We have changed the names of various places since we have come to power,” he stated. The BJP has been an advocate of changing the names of places, in an attempt to wipe out history. He said that the name of the locality Allahpur in Uttar Pradesh was changed to Mahesh Yogi Nagar and that similarly others have also been changed.
“Women and children are able to roam around safely on the streets. These Bastards (slur used for illegitimate children) today do not have the courage to throw a glance at our women,” he claimed. However, National Commission for Women data shows that 31,000 complaints of crimes against women were received by the NCW in 2021, the highest since 2014, with over half of them from Uttar Pradesh.
The people of Dumariyagan will poll in the sixth phase of the election that will be held on March 3. For the unversed, BJP won four times since the 1977 elections.
