Row Over Digvijaya Singh's Post, "Will Rahul Gandhi Show Courage?" Asks BJP

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh has triggered a fresh controversy, a week after he wrote to the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over the need for reforms within the party. Sharing a black and white photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the 1990s this morning, he praised the BJP and its ideological parent, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which had been at the target of the Congress over various issues.

Singh, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, posted online the Quora screenshot that showed BJP veteran LK Advani attending an event in Gujarat. A young PM Modi is seen sitting on the floor, near Advani. Referring to PM Modi, the Congress leader praised how grassroots workers who once sat on the floor could grow within the Sangh-BJP ecosystem and become Chief Minister and Prime Minister.

"I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impressive...the way the grassroots swayamsevaks (workers) of RSS and the workers 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 organization. Jai Siya Ram," Singh said on X.

He later issued a clarification as his remark snowballed into a controversy. He told reporters that he had only praised the organisation, but he would continue opposing the BJP and RSS.

Read: Digvijaya Singh's "Innocent" Remark For Umar Khalid Sparks BJP Backlash

The photo, shared by Singh, is an iconic visual from the 1990s documenting the rise of PM Modi in Gujarat's politics. It was reportedly clicked during the swearing-in ceremony of former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela in 1996, attended by top BJP leaders of that time.

BJP Says "Truth Bomb"

The BJP targeted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over Singh's tweet. Party spokesperson CR Kesavan said that Singh's comment has exposed the "autocratic and undemocratic" Congress leadership. 

"Will Rahul Gandhi show courage & react to the shocking Truth Bomb dropped by Shri. Digvijaya Singh's tweet which has totally exposed how Congress first family ruthlessly runs the party in a dictatorial manner and also how autocratic & undemocratic this Congress leadership is? (sic)" he said in an X post.

In its first reaction, sources in the Congress said the party needs to learn from its own past to strengthen its organisation, and not from the RSS and BJP.

A Message In Singh's Post?

Congress's social media handles, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were tagged in Digvijaya Singh's post, in what is being seen as his message to the high command.

A week earlier, he had called for reforms within the Congress and urged Rahul Gandhi to look into it. The party needs more "pragmatic decentralised functioning," he had said on December 19, but regretted that it was "not easy to convince" Gandhi.

Read: "1 Country, 2 Laws?" Digvijaya Singh's Kanwar Yatra Post Sparks Row

"Rahul Gandhi ji, you are absolutely "Bang On" in matters of Socio-Economic Issues. Full Marks. But now please look at @INCIndia also. Like @ECISVEEP needs Reforms, So Does Indian National Congress. You have started with "organisation creation" But we need more Pragmatic Decentralised Functioning. I am sure you would do it because I know you can do it. Only problem is that it is not easy to "Convince" you," the post read.

The BJP had targeted Gandhi over his remarks, saying that the Leader of the Opposition speaks about democracy across the country, but everyone knows how much democracy prevails within the Congress.

Singh's posts come amid challenging times in state politics. His second Rajya Sabha tenure ends early next year, and a third term appears unlikely. Both Kamal Nath and Meenakshi Natarajan are already in the queue for Rajya Sabha and could be the frontrunners for his seat. Besides, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari and the leader of the legislative party, Umang Singhar, are also considered to be "anti-Digvijaya" leaders.