In a post on X, Singh praised the organisational strength of the BJP and RSS, stating that grassroots workers could rise to become Chief Ministers and even Prime Minister. Describing this as “the power of the organisation,” he ended the post with “Jai Siya Ram.”
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh triggered a major political controversy on Saturday after sharing an old photograph showing a young Narendra Modi seated on the floor near BJP veteran L.K. Advani.
In a post on X, Singh praised the organisational strength of the BJP and RSS, stating that grassroots workers could rise to become Chief Ministers and even Prime Minister. Describing this as “the power of the organisation,” he ended the post with “Jai Siya Ram.”
“I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impressive…the way grassroots swayamsevaks of the RSS and workers of the Jan Sangh/BJP sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and go on to become the Chief Minister of a State and the Prime Minister of the country. This is the power of the organisation. Jai Siya Ram,” he wrote.
Amid criticism from within and outside the Congress, Singh later clarified that his remarks were limited to appreciating organisational strength and did not reflect any change in his political position. “You have misunderstood things. I praised the party organisation. I remain a staunch opponent of the RSS and Modi ji,” he said.
Last week, reacting to a Congress social media post, Singh had called for internal reforms in the party. Addressing Rahul Gandhi on X, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said the Congress needed pragmatic and decentralised functioning, and urged reforms within the party organisation.
The BJP seized upon Singh’s remarks to attack Gandhi and the Congress leadership. BJP spokesperson C.R. Kesavan said the tweet had exposed what he described as the “autocratic and undemocratic” functioning of the Congress.
“Will Rahul Gandhi show the courage to react to the truth bomb dropped by Digvijaya Singh’s tweet, which exposes how the Congress first family runs the party in a dictatorial manner?” Kesavan said in a post on X.
Senior BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi also weighed in, citing remarks attributed to former US President Barack Obama in his book The Promised Land, to criticise Gandhi’s leadership qualities.
Meanwhile, political observers noted that the controversy has emerged at a time when Singh’s Rajya Sabha term is set to end early next year, with speculation already underway over contenders for the seat.
