Battle for UP: AAP wants BJP MLA barred from contesting polls

Lucknow, Feb 23 The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has written a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI), demanding a ban on BJP MLA Raghavendra Singh contesting the election.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh, in his letter, has said that Raghvendra Singh has used highly objectionable and unprintable words against the Hindu community in an election speech.

"Such a person should be barred from contesting elections since his speech goes against the code of conduct," he said.

It may be recalled that a video clip of BJP MLA Raghvendra Pratap Singh, who is contesting the Dumariaganj Assembly seat, has gone viral in which he is heard saying that "Hindus who will not vote for me, have Muslim blood in their veins".

In the video, the legislator is purportedly heard using expletives.

He says, "Tell me, will any Muslim will 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."

Singh admitted that he made the remark a week ago, but added that it was said "in another context, as an example" and that he "had no intention to threaten anybody".

"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 Dumariaganj where there are around 1.73 lakh Muslim voters, comprising around 39.8 per cent of the electorate?" he stated.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor