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As Digvijaya Singh praises RSS, a Godse-Gandhi reminder from Congress
Several Congress leaders reacted to Digvijaya Singh’s remark and said there is “nothing to learn” from the RSS.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s remark praising the “organisational capacity” of the RSS and the BJP has stirred a fresh row, as the ruling party targeted Rahul Gandhi while the grand old party slammed the Sangh as being “known for Godse”.
His remarks also sparked speculation about internal differences within the Congress due to his appreciation of the ruling party’s organisational strength.
ALSO READ | Digvijaya Singh's RSS praise: Congress leader's comment, controversy, and clarification
What did Digvijaya Singh say?
It all began after the senior Congress leader shared a black-and-white photograph from the 1990s on December 27 on the question-and-answer social platform Quora. The picture showed a young Narendra Modi sitting on the floor next to senior BJP leader LK Advani at an event in Gujarat.
He wrote on X, “I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impressive. In what way did the grassroots swayamsevak of RSS and the worker of Jan Sangh @BJP4India sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and become the Chief Minister of the state and the Prime Minister of the country? This is the power of the organisation. Jai Siya Ram.”
He also tagged Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, Priyanka Gandhi and others in the social media post.
Soon after, the BJP hit back at Digvijaya Singh’s remark and targeted Rahul Gandhi for running the party in a “dictatorial manner”.
BJP leader CR Kesavan said the post had “totally exposed how the Congress first family ruthlessly runs the party in a dictatorial manner and also how autocratic and undemocratic this Congress leadership is”.
Congress leaders react
Several Congress leaders reacted to Digvijaya Singh’s remark and said there is “nothing to learn” from the RSS.
“There’s nothing to learn from the RSS. What can an organisation known for Godse teach an organisation founded by Gandhi?” senior party leader Pawan Khera told ANI news agency.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said, “BJP presents statements by twisting and distorting them. We have no need to learn anything from an organisation like the RSS.”
She added, “We are the Indian National Congress. We fought the freedom struggle against British rule, its injustice and its exploitation, and turned it into a mass movement. We do not need to learn anything from anyone. People should learn from us.”
Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, “We don’t have anything to learn from them. We oppose their (RSS) ideology.”
Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also called for “strengthening” and “discipline” in the organisation. He said, "Even I want our organisation to strengthen. There should be discipline in our organisation. Digvijaya Singh can speak for himself..."
What Digvijaya Singh said on the controversy
After sharp reactions from the BJP, Singh said his post was misunderstood and added that he was a staunch opponent of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I’ve been saying this from the beginning. I am opposed to the ideology of the RSS. They neither respect the Constitution nor the country’s laws, and it is an unregistered organisation," he told ANI.
He also added he “admires” their organisational capacity "because an organisation that isn’t even registered has become so powerful that the Prime Minister says from the Red Fort that it is the world’s largest NGO.”
However, he also said that there is always room for improvement and that every organisation should have scope to improve. “The Congress party is fundamentally a party of a movement. I have said this many times that the Congress party is and should remain a party of a movement. But converting that movement into votes, that’s where we fall short," he said.
