Union minister Giriraj Singh was on Thursday, 25 April, booked for violating model code of conduct by making controversial remarks against the Muslim community at a rally in Bihar’s Begusarai a day ago where BJP national president Amit Shah, among others, was present.
According to District Magistrate, Begusarai, Rahul Kumar, the FIR was lodged at Town police station under relevant sections of the Representation of People Act and the Indian Penal Code taking suo motu cognisance of the "controversial" remarks made by Singh at Wednesday’s rally.
Besides Shah, the rally was attended by a number of other BJP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
Singh is contesting from Begusarai Lok Sabha as the NDA candidate and he is engaged in a three-cornered fight with CPI’s Kanhaiya Kumar and RJD’s Tanveer Hassan.
Video footage of Singh’s brief address at the rally was telecast on news channels wherein he can be heard saying, "I would like to say, Giriraj Singh's ancestors died and were cremated. You need a yard of land even after you die, for burial of your mortal remains. If you say you cannot chant Vande Mataram, this nation will never forget you".
"There are many people who are trying to spread communal tensions. We will not allow that to happen anywhere in Bihar including Begusarai. The RJD candidate in Darbhanga recently said he had problems with reciting Vande Mataram", Singh said referring to Abdul Bari Siddiqui's comments last Sunday.
"In Begusarai too, many can be seen spewing venom wearing bade bhai ka kurta and chhote bhai ka pyjama", he said referring to the long shirts and short trousers that are usually associated with devout muslims.
The BJP leader has courted controversy on a number of occasions on account of his hyper-nationalistic outbursts which also underscore his Hindutva hardline.
His comment ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls about how those opposed to Narendra Modi deserved to be deported to Pakistan has led to much lampooning.
His repeated assertions that Hindus are running out of patience because of the delay in the Supreme Court delivering its verdict on Ayodhya dispute has often left his own government embarrassed.
A few days ago he said while campaigning in his constituency that political parties in the country should be prohibited from having flags which were green in colour since these resembled the emblem of Pakistan.
Opposition parties have targeted Singh over the comment and asked what he thought of Chief Minister Nitish Kumars JD(U), an NDA ally, which had a green flag.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)