Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Sunday night joined the row over Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's post – about the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'impressive rise...'.
In a subtle but clear rebuttal on X – and without naming Digvijaya Singh – Reddy, widely seen as a Gandhi loyalist, praised ex-Congress President Sonia Gandhi for her role in the selection of PV Narasimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Ministers of India in 1991, 2004, and 2014.
Reddy's message to critics, internal and external, was clear – the Congress also rewards merit, regardless of background, in efforts to 'build democratic institutions to unite a diverse India'.
"When one reflects on the leadership of Sonia Gandhi we find service, commitment, ethics, and values…" Reddy said, "Under Sonia Gandhi leadership, it became possible for PV Narasimha Rao garu, who started his public career from a remote village in Telangana, to become PM."
CONGRESS…A force for people of #India was born 140 years ago on this day.
— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) December 28, 2025
The story of the Indian National Congress is the story of Indian democracy in motion.
When one reflects on the leadership of Smt #SoniaGandhi Ji, we find service, commitment, ethics and values.
Under… pic.twitter.com/kSq1wajRWH
"Sonia Gandhi also made an economist like Dr Manmohan Singh Prime Minister."
"From leading India's freedom struggle to framing the Constitution, from building democratic institutions to uniting a diverse nation, the Indian National Congress has shaped every defining chapter of modern India," the Telangana Chief Minister declared.
On Saturday senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh triggered a second row in as many weeks.
RECAP | A 'Godse'Remark As Congress Divided Over Digvijaya Singh's Post
He wrote to Rahul Gandhi over the need for reforms within the party.
Sharing a black and white photo of PM Modi from the 1990, he praised the BJP and RSS, "I found this picture… it is very impressive... the way grassroots workers of RSS and Jan Sangh (as the BJP was called earlier) sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and become Chief Minister and (then) PM…"
"This is the power of organisation," the ex-Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister declared in an X post that tagged Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
He then issued a clarification; he claimed only to have praised the BJP and RSS' organisation.
The Congress, meanwhile, came out swinging. Kharge – who has called for a ban on the RSS – said the party had never sought votes in the name of religion, though he did not name Singh.
Party spokesperson Pawan Khera was more dismissive, saying, "Godse's supporters (i.e., Nathu Ram Godse, the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi) cannot be Gandhi's supporters."
Gandhi and Singh came face-to-face a few hours before this drama played out – at a Congress Working Committee meeting in Delhi – but the two seemed unconcerned by the furore.
Sources said Gandhi teased Singh, "Kal aapne badmashi kar di (You were up to mischief yesterday)", which prompted laughter from those standing around, including Sonia Gandhi.
RECAP | Rahul Gandhi's 'Mischief' Banter With Digvijaya Singh On 'RSS-BJP' Post
But the saffron party – which has repeatedly attack the Gandhi family over 'dynastic politics', even as its rivals point to similar in-house instances – pounced. Party spokesperson CR Kesavan targeted Rahul Gandhi and declared the Congress' 'autocratic' leadership had been exposed.
"Will Rahul Gandhi show courage and react to the shocking Truth Bomb dropped by Digvijaya Singh… which has totally exposed how Congress 'first family' ruthlessly runs the party in a dictatorial manner and also how autocratic and undemocratic this Congress leadership is?"
RECAP | On Digvijaya Singh's Post, BJP Asks "Will Rahul Gandhi Show Courage?"
Digvijaya Singh's jab at the Congress' organisational failings aren't standalone comments.
Rather, they underscore those made by others, including four-time Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor, about a new era for the Congress, specifically one that looks beyond the Gandhi family.
RECAP | Shashi Tharoor Asked About Digvijaya Singh Amid Row. What He Said
Tharoor – whose relationship with the Congress seems to be on thin ice, after multiple comments praising Prime Minister Modi and the BJP – was asked about Singh's remark, but would only say, "The organisation must be strengthened… there is no doubt about it."
RECAP | "Rahul Gandhi, Look At Congress": Behind Digvijaya Singh's Reforms Call
Sources, however, also said another reason behind Singh's sharp remarks could be that his Rajya Sabha term ends early next year and a third appears unlikely, with others ahead of him in the queue.
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