'Will take oath after regular Speaker takes over proceedings', says BJP MLA

Telangana BJP MLA elect T Raja Singh, who has declined to be sworn-in by Mumtaz Ahmed Khan of AIMIM -- nominated as the pro-tem Speaker, on Monday said he would take oath after the regular Speaker takes over proceedings of the new Assembly.

Singh had said he would not take oath in the presence of Khan because he "speaks against Hindus".

The first session of the newly elected assembly will be held from January 17 to 20. On January 16, Khan would take oath as pro-tem speaker at the Raj Bhavan.

"After the regular speaker is appointed, I will go to his chamber and take oath. But not during those days (when Ahmed Khan acts as pro-tem speaker)," Raja Singh told PTI.

In a video message, Singh, legislator from Goshamahal, had demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao review the decision on appointment of Khan, a senior All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader, as pro-tem speaker.

"The Telangana chief minister, who is a follower of Nizam (the erstwhile ruler of Hyderabad state) and MIM took a decision at night to make an AIMIM MLA pro-tem speaker...I will not go to the assembly and take the oath in his presence. Other party leaders may go, but I will not," Singh had said.

The BJP MLA, known for controversial statements, said he did not want to take the oath in Khan's presence, as AIMIM "speaks against Hindus and its leaders do not sing Vande Mataram' or say Bharat Mata Ki Jai".

He had said he would consult legal experts on rules regarding oath-taking.

An AIMIM spokesperson had said that the party did not want to react to Singh's statement.

Flaying Singh's remarks, the Congress Monday demanded that he be expelled from the Assembly.

"Raja Singh's statement shows the level of hatred that he holds against the Muslim community. He does not deserve to be a Member of the Legislative Assembly, which is a symbol of democracy and secularism.

"He must be expelled from the House with immediate effect," All India Congress Committee spokesperson Sravan Dasoju said in a statement.

Sravan alleged that Singh is facing 43 criminal cases, most of them pertaining to hate speeches.

He alleged that 24 cases were registered against Raja Singh since 2014 under the TRS regime.

However, the BJP member was never arrested or tried in any of these cases, he said.