Hyderabad, Sep 10 : MLA T. Raja Singh, who resigned from the BJP recently, has challenged Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy to resign and face him in the elections.

The MLA from Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad (Telangana) said if Kishan Reddy resigns as MP, he too would resign as the MLA.

The Hindutva firebrand leader dared Kishan Reddy to contest against him in the by-election to both the Secunderabad Lok Sabha and the Goshamahal Assembly constituency.

Talking to media persons on Wednesday, Raja Singh slammed the state leader of the BJP and said the groupism was destroying the party in the state.

He stated that under the present state leadership, the BJP will not come to power in Telangana. 'If BJP comes to power in Telangana with the present committee, I will take retirement from politics,' he said.

Raja Singh claimed that he has the blessings of the Central leaders of the BJP. He also claimed that they were regularly making phone calls to him.

The MLA said he would meet the Central leaders of the BJP and would apprise them of the happenings in the state unit of the party.

Raja Singh ruled out joining Congress or Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). 'I am still a BJP leader. I am not secular,' he said.

The MLA had resigned from the BJP on June 30 to protest against the appointment of Ramchander Rao as the state BJP president

After the BJP national president J. P. Nadda accepted his resignation, Raja Singh announced that he would continue to work for Hindutva.

'I was born to serve Hindutva, and I will continue to work for Hindutva until my last breath. I will always work with complete dedication and honesty for the protection of Hindutva, nationalism, and Sanatan Dharma. For the service of society and the rights of the Hindu community, I will continue to raise my voice until my last breath,' Raja Singh had said.

In his resignation letter, Raja Singh wrote that the appointment of Ramchander Rao as state BJP president came as a shock and disappointment to not just him but lakhs of party workers.

"At a time when BJP stands at the threshold of forming the first government in Telangana, such a choice raises serious doubts about the direction we are heading," he wrote.

/IANS