Hindus who don’t vote for me have Muslim blood, says BJP MLA

Five days later, the Domariyaganj MLA admitted to making the comments but asserted that it was said 'in another context, as an example'

Hindus who will not vote for me have “Muslim blood in their veins”, BJP MLA Raghvendra Pratap Singh purportedly said in a video circulating on social media.

Singh, who is also in charge of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, will be up for contesting re-election from the Domariyaganj constituency in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 3.

“Tell me, will any Muslim vote for me? So be aware that if Hindus of this village support another side, they have Muslim blood in their veins. They are traitors… Even after so many atrocities, if a Hindu goes over to the other side, he should not be allowed to show his face in public," he can be heard saying in the viral video clips.

"Aur ek baar agar warning dene ke saath samajh me nahi ayega to iss baar main bata dunga ki Raghvendra Singh kaun hai. Kyunki mere saath gaddari karoge toh chalega, main apman sah lunga. Mujhe apmanit karoge toh bhi main apman sah lunga. Lekin agar hamare Hindu samaj ko apmanit karne ka prayaas karoge toh barbaad karke rakh dunga. (If the warning is not heeded, I will let everyone know who Raghvendra Singh is. I can tolerate personal insults and betrayals, but I will destroy those who try to insult the Hindu community),” he further said in the purported video.

Five days later, the Domariyaganj MLA admitted to making the comments but clarified that it was said “in another context, as an example” and that he “had no intention to threaten anybody”.

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“I have said those things, I am not denying. But I had spoken in another context, as an example, and was making a comparison with the past. I had no intention to threaten anybody. Can anybody win an election by threatening in Domariyaganj where there are around 1.73 lakh Muslim voters, comprising around 39.8 per cent of the electorate?” he said, according to a report by The Indian Express.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the Vahini leader successfully contested from Dumariaganj seat in Siddhartha Nagar. He had won by a slender margin of 171 votes defeating BSP’s Sayeda Khatoon.

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(With agency inputs)