Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh sparked a significant political controversy on Saturday by publicly acknowledging the organisational prowess of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This unexpected praise for a group his party has historically opposed created a stir, prompting a swift clarification from the veteran politician later in the day.
Praise for RSS's Leadership Building
On Saturday, Digvijaya Singh took to social media platform X to share a black-and-white photograph. The image, which he said he found on Quora, showed a young Narendra Modi seated on the floor while senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani sat on a chair in the background. Singh used this visual to highlight the RSS's method of shaping leadership.
In his post, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh wrote that it was impressive to see how a grassroots RSS and Jan Sangh worker rose to become the state's Chief Minister and the country's Prime Minister. He explicitly termed this trajectory as a demonstration of "the power of the organisation." This remark was seen as a rare, direct commendation of the RSS's internal structure and mentorship model from a prominent Congress figure.
Swift Clarification and Reaffirmed Opposition
However, later on the same day, Singh issued a clarification to counter the interpretation that he was endorsing the RSS or Prime Minister Modi. He asserted that his praise was solely for the concept of a strong organisation ('sangathan'), not for the RSS's ideology.
"I support the organisation. I am against the RSS and Modi ji... You have misunderstood," Singh stated. He firmly added, "I have praised 'sangathan'. I was, am, and will remain a staunch opponent of the RSS and Modi." He concluded by questioning whether it was wrong to appreciate and advocate for a strengthened organisational framework in general.
Context: Earlier Call for Congress Reforms
This incident followed another set of remarks Singh made earlier in the week, where he addressed internal party matters. He praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, giving him "full marks" for his focus on socio-economic issues. However, he also drew a parallel to Gandhi's advocacy for Election Commission reforms.
Singh argued that the Indian National Congress itself needed similar pragmatic and decentralised reforms. In his post on X, he acknowledged Gandhi's initiative of 'Sanghatan Srijan' (organisation creation) but urged for more concrete steps towards decentralised functioning. He expressed confidence in Rahul Gandhi's ability to implement such changes, though he humorously noted the challenge lay in convincing him.
The sequence of events highlights the ongoing internal discussions within the Congress about its organisational structure, even as its leaders navigate complex political narratives in the public sphere.
