Hyderabad: With Raja Singh in jail, TRS eyeing Goshamahal seat

Hyderabad: Politics in the Goshamahal assembly constituency here has heated up quite a bit after (now suspended) BJP MLA T Raja Singh was detained and sent to jail by the police last month. Currently in detention under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act, his absence has allowed the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to become more active in the seat in preparation for next year’s state elections.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders, including state ministers, are regularly visiting Goshamahal and attending all government programs. In fact, even small programs are not missed by them, pointed out sources from the party. With Raja Singh in jail, the Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state leadership has reportedly asked its cadre to go toe-to-toe with the TRS as well.
Suspended BP MLA Raja Singh, who is infamous for spreading hate through his provocative speeches, was arrested last month for making derogatory comments against Prophet Muhammad in a Youtube video. He posted the video in response to the TRS-run state government allowing comic Munawar Faruqui hold a standup show in Hyderabad on August 20.
Hate video and arrest of Raja Singh Faruqui’s show was held amidst tight security. Two days later, Raja Singh posted the video, which led to several protests against him. The MLA was arrested on August 23 and got bail the same day. He was later detained under the PD Act by the Hyderabad police. He has over 100 cases against him, of which over two dozen were for communal disturbances.
After that, the All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party had submitted a representation to the Telangana Assembly speaker, requesting him to disqualify Raja Singh as an MLA. The request is under scrutiny. The vacuum generated after him being in jail has lead to intensified political activity in the Assembly segment. In the 2018 state elections, it was a three-way fight between the TRS, BJP and the Congress.
BJP MLA T Raja Singh with his lawyer at the court complex in Nampally. (Image: Siasat) On Sunday, GHMC Corporator from Jambagh, Rakesh Jaiswal staged a protest at the M J Market junction demanding a ban on the Popular Front of India, which was raided by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) few days ago. He burned the effigy of PFI and asked the state government to deal with the PFI aggressively.