Hyderabad: T Raja Singh, MLA, known for his incendiary speeches and threats of violence against minority community, has created ripples in Telangana BJP by announcing his resignation from the party.

Though he cited his plans to fight for the protection of cows on the occasion of Eid Al Adha and avoid embarrassment to the party leadership as the reason for his decision to quit the party, the other party leaders and observers say that this was part of the squabbling within the Hyderabad unity of the party.

Raja Singh, who has created a hardliner’s image for himself by adopting aggressive posturing and controversial statements, has warned that if the state government does not stop the slaughter of cow on the occasion of the Eid, there was “200 per cent” chance on violence in the city.

“As I have launched the cow protection movement ahead of Eid I don’t want to create any problems for the party or the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also I don’t want to be responsible to anybody about my actions”, he told the media explaining reasons for his resignation.

Lashing out at the ruling TRS, Raja Singh alleged that it was hand in glove with the AIMIM and was supporting illegal supply and slaughtering of cows.

“For me my religion and cow is more important than anything else. Even the country comes after Gau Mata (mother cow) for me”, he said.

Raja Singh alleged that more than 3,000 cows and oxen were brought to Hyderabad and kept hidden at different places for slaughter on Eid and demanded that the state government should save the animals.

“If you don’t put checkposts outside the city and carry out raids in the old city there is 200 per cent chance of mob lynching and violence”, he threatened.

Raja Singh revealed that he had formed a force of 1,000 volunteers in the city and other districts to check the transport of animals. “Our volunteers can go to the places where cows and bulls are being slaughtered. There can be a confrontation between the butchers and our volunteers”, he said.

“We can sacrifice our lives and take lives too for the sake of protection of cows”, said the MLA.

Raja Singh was originally a corporator in Telugu Desam Party but he quit the party before the last assembly elections and joined the BJP. He emerged as a giant killer by defeating senior Congress leader Mukesh Goud from Gosahamahal constituency in Hyderabad and later fortified his image as pro-active Hindu activist by leading Hindu Vahini organisation.

His provocative statements and threats of violence led to booking of at least 15 police cases against him in the city. Nevertheless he continued with his speeches and statements, latest being his advocacy that the Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingya refugees should be shot dead if they refuse to leave the country honourably.

He sent his resignation letter to the state BJP President K Lakshman about four days ago but when he did not respond, Raja Singh himself made his resignation public.

Interestingly he announced his dramatic resignation at a time when his name was making round as possible BJP candidate from Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency against MIM President and three time MP Asaduddin Owaisi. While it created a lot of buzz in political circles, Raja Singh backed off saying the demographic balance in the constituency was not in his favour. Instead he suggested sarcastically that the party’s floor leader in the state assembly G Kishan Reddy should contest from Hyderabad as he organises Iftar parties for Muslims.

Moreover Raja Singh’s style of functioning made the other senior state leaders wary of him and Singh was also keeping himself away from party’s programmes charting his own individual course. In his resignation letter, he also targeted the party leadership saying the party never supported his struggles on the issues of protecting Hindu religion and cow protection.

Soon after Raja Singh’s threat of mob violence, a group of people stopped a truck bringing bulls into the city from outside at Champapet and assaulted the driver injuring him seriously.

Later the police dispersed the mob and took the animal in their control for further action.

Though there were incidents of obstructing the transport of animals for slaughter on the occasion of Eid Al Azha for the past many years and spark off incidents of violence, this is the first time that open threats of violence have been issued.

Meanwhile the police have set up check posts at all the entry points of Hyderabad city to check illegal transport of animals. While the BJP was demanding ban on the slaughter of bulls along with cows, the animal traders point out that under the law there was no restriction on slaughter of male animal declared as unfit for any other purpose.