5 Facts On BJP's Karnail Singh, Contesting From Shakur Basti In Delhi Polls

The BJP has chosen Karnail Singh, the chief of its Delhi Mandir Prakoshth (temple cell), as its candidate from the Shakur Basti constituency for Delhi Assembly elections. He will contest against senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain.

The Delhi Assembly polls are scheduled for February 5, with counting of votes to be held on February 8.

Five facts on Karnail Singh:

1. Karnail Singh is the chief of BJP's temple cell in Delhi. The Mandir Prakoshth (temple cell) was established in 2022 to engage the Brahmin community ahead of the elections. The temple cell is aimed to connect and support priests, particularly those conducting rituals.

2. He chairs the advisory board of Madhav Netralaya, an Eye Institute and Research Centre based in Nagpur. Karnail Singh claims to be a "servant of Sanatan Dharma".

3. Mr Singh has often hit headlines for his statements against the Muslim community. In April 2022, he visited Jahangirpuri in the aftermath of violent clashes and raised slogans outside a mosque. He proclaimed, "This is Sanatan's country, and we will raise slogans wherever we want to." The violence broke out during a Hanuman Jayanti procession organised by the Bajrang Dal. Participants reportedly carried swords and pistols and stopped near a mosque where Muslims were offering prayers. The group played loud music and shouted slogans, which escalated tensions and led to stone-pelting and gunfire.

4. In June 2024, a video purportedly showing Karnail Singh threatening to "slaughter 1.5-2 lakh Muslims in Sangam Vihar" went viral. In the clip, the BJP leader told the police they had 48 hours to find the person who allegedly put the severed head of a calf near a temple in the area. Days later, in another video, Mr Singh apologised saying, "He couldn't bear the pain of his mother (cow) and said things I did not intend to. I also made inflammatory remarks besides that for which I feel very sorry and want to apologise to anybody hurt by my words."

5. Karnail Singh, a vocal critic of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, lambasted him over his recent promise to pay priests Rs 18,000 per month if elected. He further claimed that Arvind Kejriwal was doing a lot for mosques and maulvis, but neglecting the priests and temples.