Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has strongly condemned the controversial statement by former BJP MLA from Domariyaganj in Siddharthnagar, Raghavendra Pratap Singh. In his speech at a public rally on October 16, Singh urged Hindu youths: “If two girls from our community have gone, bring at least 10 Muslim girls, convert them to Hinduism, and we will arrange their marriage along with jobs.” Mayawati demanded strict legal action against such “hate speech” that promotes communal discord.
In a statement released on Tuesday via social media platform X, Mayawati described the remark as a “narrow-minded and hateful” attempt to incite communal and caste-based enmity. She highlighted how such rhetoric, including terms like religious conversion, love jihad, and other divisive labels, is being used across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and other states to take the law into one’s own hands. This, she said, fosters hatred, unrest, anarchy, and threats to people’s lives, property, and faith, calling it a “poisonous and violent game” by mischievous elements that is highly condemnable.
Mayawati emphasized that such criminal, anarchic, and anti-social elements pose an open challenge and danger to civilized and constitutional governments. Instead of shielding them, she urged authorities to prioritize the welfare of the state’s millions by enforcing the rule of law and taking immediate strict action against offenders. “This is essential for the broader interest of the public and the nation,” she added.
The statement has sparked widespread political reactions. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national spokesperson Sanjay Singh labeled it “direct incitement to criminality” and questioned how any parent would celebrate such behavior, demanding police intervention. Samajwadi Party has also condemned the remarks and called for action against Singh. The controversy highlights ongoing concerns over hate speech and Islamophobia in political discourse, with critics pointing to Singh’s history of anti-Muslim statements.
Meanwhile, BSP chief Mayawati is scheduled to chair a meeting on Wednesday at the party’s Uttar Pradesh headquarters with the Muslim Samaj Bhaiachara Sanyojan and SIR organizations. During the session, she will issue directives to party officials on increasing Muslim participation in the organization and brief them on the party’s stance regarding SIR (likely referring to internal party strategies or alliances).
