The BJP plans to bring back Ala Purushottam, a prominent leader in Goshamahal who left the party last year and joined the BRS for a brief period, with an eye on controlling Singh.

Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Telangana, which faced controversial issues Goshamahal BJP MLA T Raja Singhbegan to bring him under control by weakening his position in his own constituency.

The party plans to bring back Ala Purushottam, a prominent leader in the Goshamahal constituency, who left the party last year and joined the BRS for a brief stint with an eye on controlling Singh.

With news of Purushottam’s comeback doing rounds in the party circle, Raja Singh became restless and posted comments on X that he was distancing himself from petty politics and would focus on serving the people of his constituency. In his comments, Singh emphasized that he will move away from petty political games and engage in religious activities. He also expressed his aim to transform India into a Hindu nation.

Singh also made remarks in the presence of the Rajya Sabha member K Laxmanexpressing displeasure over the party’s decision to reinstate Purushottam in the party. Sources say the BJP high command was unhappy with the growing discontent with Raja Singh within the party. Singh has reportedly become a disruptive force, leading to the party’s decision to field Purushottam.

The state leadership is also unhappy as Singh has remained silent on Musi River Project emission. So far, he has not made any comment on the issue, although a large number of areas in his constituency fall under Musi’s catchment area. Many colonies including Chandrakiran Basti, Uppalamma Basti, Chudi Bazar and Shankarnagar in Goshamahal constituency are located in the Musi catchment area. Authorities have already evacuated some homes in those areas.

Raja Singh’s decision not to spend a night in the Musi catchment along with other senior leaders, including BJP state unit president G Kishan Reddy, has also angered the party leadership. Following this, the state leadership decided to rein in Singh and create an alternative power center in the form of Purushottam, who has a sizeable following in the Goshamahal constituency.

In the 2018 Assembly elections, Singh was the only BJP candidate to win, but in the 2023 elections, eight BJP candidates emerged victorious. Singh, assuming the position of legislative party leader would be his, was disappointed when the high command appointed Nirmal MLA A Maheshwar Reddy to the role. This decision contributed to his permanent conflict with the party.

Singh has also remained absent from the parliamentary election campaign, sparking speculation that his role within the party has diminished. His lack of participation in major BJP events, including the Musi Nidra programme, has further fueled talk that the party leadership may seek to sideline him. His recent statements about prioritizing public service over petty politics have added to the growing speculation.

Singh was suspended after his controversial comments on the Prophet Muhammad, in response to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi The government (BRS) allowed stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui to hold a show in Hyderabad in August 2022. However, just before the 2023 Assembly polls, his suspension was lifted and the party renominated him from the Goshamahal Assembly constituency .