Mayawati condemns ex-BJP MLA’s ‘Bring Muslim Girls’ remark, calls it hate speech

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday strongly condemned the controversial statement made by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Raghavendra Pratap Singh , terming it a form of “hate speech” aimed at inciting communal and caste-based hatred in the state.

Her remarks came after a video surfaced showing the former BJP legislator making objectionable comments during a public rally in Siddharthnagar , Uttar Pradesh. In the video, Singh reportedly said, “Bring at least 10 Muslim girls. I will get you married. I am also announcing that the one who engages in this will get employment.”

Reacting sharply to the statement, Mayawati described it as “narrow-minded and hateful,” and alleged that such remarks reflect a “poisonous and violent game” being played by mischievous elements in the name of religion. She claimed that certain “criminal and anti-social elements” were taking the law into their own hands under the guise of opposing religious conversions and so-called “love jihad.”

“The narrow-minded and hateful statement of ‘bring a Muslim girl, get a job’, along with the mischievous elements’ poisonous and violent game in UP, Uttarakhand, and other states—where they give names like religious conversion, love jihad, and who knows what else to spread communal and casteist hatred, enmity, unrest, anarchy, and threats to people’s lives, property, and faith while taking the law into their own hands against it—is highly condemnable,” Mayawati posted on social media platform X.

Calling for immediate government intervention, the BSP chief asserted that such “criminal, anarchic, and anti-social elements” pose an open challenge to the functioning of a civilised and constitutional government. She urged authorities to take strict legal action against those spreading hatred, instead of providing them support or protection.

“Such criminal, anarchic, and anti-social elements pose an open challenge and threat to a civilised and constitutional government. Instead of providing them support and protection, governments should take strict legal action against such people to ensure the establishment of the rule of law, keeping in mind the welfare and interests of the state's millions of people—this is in the broader interest of the public and the nation,” she added.

The remarks have sparked a political debate, with opposition parties demanding disciplinary action against Singh. Political analysts suggest that the controversy may influence voter sentiment ahead of upcoming elections, with the BSP using the issue to reinforce its secular and law-and-order stance, while the BJP faces pressure to maintain internal discipline and reaffirm its commitment to communal harmony.