The fight is going to be between two… India’s faith will be on one side and on the other will be those who are pro-Islam),” he said. The fight is going to be between two… India’s faith will be on one side and on the other will be those who are pro-Islam),” he said.

The BJP MLA from Bairia, Surendra Singh, has declared that the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will be a contest between two “mentalities” — Hindu and Islamic. “Ye 2019 ka chunav Islam banam bhagwan hone ja raha hai (The 2019 elections are going to be Islam versus bhagwan),” Singh told the public during a rally in Ballia on Thursday. “Is liye mere bhaiyo… nirnay kar lena ke Islam jeetega ki bhagwan jeetega. Nirnay kar lena, beimaan jeetega ya Modi ka imaan jeetega… Nirnay do me hona hai… Bharat ka imaan ladega aur Islam parast logon ka beimaan ladega (That is why my brothers… you should decide whether Islam is going to win or bhagwan. Decide whether the dishonest should win or Modi’s honesty. The fight is going to be between two… India’s faith will be on one side and on the other will be those who are pro-Islam).”

He also painted the Opposition as “anti-national”. “Ye vipakshi rashtravirodhi hain… Inka jo hai aaka… kahan baithta hai… Inka aaka kisi ka Islam me baithta hai… Kisi ka Arabistan me basta hai…. Kisi ka jo hai siddhant Italy me basta hai (Opposition is anti-national. Their masters are in Islam or in Arab countries. The principles of some others lie in Italy),” he added.

He took a jibe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s trip to Italy earlier this year. “You might have seen that Rahul (Gandhi) ji does not have the time to sit in the Lok Sabha, but he definitely has the time to go to Italy twice a week. Why is this? His culture does not salute the land of India… His culture salutes the land of Italy,” the MLA said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Singh said he spoke his mind and stands by it.

“The whole meaning of what I said is that the 2019 elections will be between those with Hindu mentality and those with Islamic mentality. The whole pack of villainous parties… the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) would be one one side and the only ‘Ram Dal (Ram’s party)’ we have… the BJP… will be on the other.” he said over phone. “In Indian politics there is just one playing the role of Lord Ram and that is Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi is playing Ravan.”

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