Surendra Singh claimed that Bengal could turn into Jammu and Kashmir from where Hindus had to migrate.
Just days after
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sharp reprimand for lawmakers making controversial statements, a BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh known to be a repeat offender is still at it. This time,
BJP lawmaker Surendra Singh has called Mamata Banerjee West Bengal's "Surpanakha", the evil sister of demon king "Ravana" in Ramayana, and claimed that Bengal could turn into Jammu and Kashmir from where Hindus had to migrate.
The lawmaker went on. "People are getting killed on streets and she, the chief minister is not doing anything about it... Hindus are unsafe in Bengal," the legislator said in Ballia 400 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow.
If something is not done, the Bairia legislator said, "Bengal will become Jammu and Kashmir. The building will be in the name of Ghanshyam Singh, but a Muslim would be staying there".
This wasn't the first time that the lawmaker has made controversial remarks.
In the past, Surendra Singh has predicted that India would become a
Hindu state by 2024, insisted that anyone who had reservations about Vande Mataram was a Pakistani and this month, even attempted to defend BJP lawmaker Kuldeep Singh Sengar accused of rape.
"I am speaking from psychological point of view; no one can rape a mother of three children. It is not possible, this is a conspiracy against him (Kuldeep Singh Sengar)," Surendra Singh said, according to a video clip put out by ANI.
It was such comments that PM Modi had probably hoped to end this weekend when he told lawmakers not to give fodder to the media.
"We make mistakes and
give 'masala' to the media... as if we are great social scientists and experts to analyse issues... the moment you see a camera you start speaking. So this half-baked stuff is picked up," PM Modi had said.
In April last year too, PM Modi had sought to deliver a similar message when he asked party leaders to "practice the art of silence". Taking a dig at the controversial statements, he had said, "The microphone is not a machine that forces people to speak".