A "Godse" Remark As Congress Divided Over Digvijaya Singh's "RSS-BJP" Post

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's remark, seen as in favour on the RSS and the BJP, has exposed crash within the grand old party once again, in a fresh crisis that raises questions over unity and discontentment among the senior leadership.
Singh had yesterday triggered controversy over an online post in which he said that the BJP-RSS allow grassroots workers to grow within the organisation to top posts like chief minister and prime minister, sharing a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting on the floor near BJP veteran LK Advani.

Though he later clarified that he remained a staunch opponent of the RSS-BJP, the damage was already done. His post brought to attention another remark by Singh from a week ago, in which he had publicly called for the need for reforms and decentralisation of power within the Congress, tagging Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Resorting to a firefighting mode, Congress asserted that it doesn't believe in the RSS ideology, while some leaders backed Singh and some differed with his analysis.

Pawan Khera, a member of the highest decision-making body of the Congress, chose the latter. "I don't agree to what he has said. Godse's supporters cannot be Gandhi's supporters," said Khera, who is also in charge of the party's media and publicity.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who had earlier called for a ban on the RSS, pointed out the difference between his party and the RSS-BJP combine, claiming that the Congress never does politics of religion. He didn't name Singh in his post, but his target was clear: raising the allegations that his party has lately been highlighting.

"We may have less power, but our backbone is not weak. Whether we are in power or not, we do not seek votes in the name of religion. We believe in religion, but some have turned religion into politics. The BJP has power, but it lacks truth. RSS leaders had once refused to accept even the Tricolour and Vande Mataram and they are now crushing the rights of the people. We must stand firmly and resist such attempts," he said.

Sachin Pilot, a senior leader from Rajasthan, also denied that there is a lack of unity in the Congress, asserting that it is the only party that offers a strong opposition in India. "Congress is united. The country needs a strong opposition. There are no differences within Congress. opinions are free to express. They said what they had to say. Our single goal is to strengthen Kharge and Rahul," Pilot added.

Another senior leader Supriya Shrinate said there is no need for the Congress to learn from RSS. "They should learn from us. We don't need to learn anything from (Nathuram) Godse's organization," she said, referring to Mahatma Gandhi's killer.

Salman Khurshid, a Congress veteran, however, asserted that Singh is "completely" with the party leadership.

"Appreciation and accessing facts are two different things. Digvijaya Singh inspires a lot of people. The fundamental ideology of the RSS is contrary to the idea of India. Digvijaya Singh is completely with our leadership. Just forget about the strength. It's not there. Then should we also start oppressing people? We have our own kind of strength. They have their own kind of strength. That is a pragmatic assessment of what RSS has been able to achieve. We and Digvijaya Singh reject the RSS ideology," said Salman Khurshid.

Congress MP Rajni Patil sided with Singh, stating that he hasn't said anything wrong and that the media has twisted his statement.

Another leader, Alka Lamba, called for a strength analysis of both her party and the rival, asserting that the Congress doesn't align with the RSS ideology. "We should analyse that where our enemy is strong and where we are strong. It is democracy. Everyone can have their point of view. But we do not agree with the ideology of the RSS at all. They stood with the Britishers," she added.

Congress leader Rashid said, "Digvijay Singh should be asked what this picture means. RSS is a strong organisation. BJP comes to power only because of RSS. We saw in the Lok Sabha elections what was the condition of BJP when RSS withdrew its support."