Lucknow: A Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker in Uttar Pradesh while making anti-Muslim remarks has boasted if he is elected as an MLA, again, Muslims will be forced to wear ’tilak’, a Hindu typical mark made on forehead.
Raghvendra Singh, the Hindutva MLA from Domariyaganj in eastern UP, said, “If I become MLA again, gol-topis (skull caps) will vanish. Next time the miyan log (offensive term used for Muslims by extremist Hindus) will wear the tilak.”
When criticized over his outrageous remarks, he said, “When there were Islamic terrorists here, Hindus were forced to wear gol topis (skull caps). I said ‘conditional’. I am ready to sacrifice anything for Hindu pride. I meant that if Muslims are trying everything to defeat me, I will not stay silent,” Singh said in a video.
Singh is the UP in-charge of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a rightwing group founded by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The UP police say they have filed a case after the video of his virulent campaign speech emerged online. In 2017, he won the Domariyaganj seat by some 200 votes.
Domariyaganj has a mixed population and is scheduled to go for polls in the sixth phase in UP. Web Desk
