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Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh recently courted controversy by praising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on his social media.
On Saturday, Singh issued a clarification and said that although he values strong organizational structures, he still stands strongly against the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Singh had shared a black-and-white photo from the 1990s, taken from social question-answer platform Quora, and said the BJP-RSS allows grassroots workers to rise to top positions like chief minister and prime minister within the organisation. The post shows young Narendra Modi sitting on the floor next to the senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani At a program in Gujarat.
Singh is not untouched by controversies and this is not the first time that the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh has created a stir within the Congress. On several occasions, Digvijay Singh’s comments and social media posts have put his party on the defensive.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, reacting to the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh’s comment, said that the organization known for Godse cannot teach anything to the organization founded by Gandhi.
A member of the erstwhile royal family of Raghogarh in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district, the 78-year-old is a two-time Rajya Sabha member whose current term will end in 2026. He has also served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh twice.
Here is the list of controversies raised by Digvijay Singh in the past:
2016 surgical strike
In 2023, Singh sparked a major political controversy when he questioned the 2016 surgical strikes that India’s armed forces conducted across the Line of Control against terror launch pads after the Uri attack.
Singh had claimed that there was ‘no evidence’ that surgical strikes were carried out in 2016 and accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Center of “spreading lies” about the operation.
Singh’s remarks drew a sharp reaction from the BJP. The ruling party said the Congress has become “blind in hatred” towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has insulted the country’s armed forces. The Congress distanced itself from Singh’s comments, with senior leader Jairam Ramesh saying they “do not reflect the party’s position”.
hindu terror word
In December 2021, Singh claimed that Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, who was killed in the 2018 Mumbai attacks, had told him about threats to his life from anonymous callers because he held Hindu right-wing activists like Pragya Singh Thakur responsible for the Malegaon blasts.
Singh later clarified his remarks. Digvijay said, “I never said that Hindu terrorists were involved in the murder of Hemant Karkare. As of now, the evidence suggests that he was murdered by Pakistani terrorists.” “The fact is that Hindu groups were harassing Karkare,” he said.
Congress has distanced itself from Digvijay’s comments. The Congress leader said, “Digvijay Singh is a senior leader of the party, but he has not spoken on behalf of the party. Being from Madhya Pradesh, Digvijay knew Karkare. His conversation with Mr Karkare was in his personal capacity and the conversation was personal.” Janardan Dwivedi Said.
BJP had also strongly condemned this statement of Digvijay. BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad Had said, “Digvijay Singh has indicated that Hemant Karkare was under threat from Hindu elements and RSS. We condemn this statement. There are better ways to remain in the headlines.”
Singh was often associated with coining the term “Hindu terror” when speaking about extremist violence. The BJP accused him of defaming Hinduism, while the Congress later distanced itself from the phrase.
However, Singh has repeatedly said that he has never used the phrase “Hindu terrorism” or “Hindu terrorism” and that he has always talked about what he calls “Sanghi terrorism” – meaning terrorism associated with individuals influenced by RSS-related ideology, not Hinduism.
In 2019, in an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Singh challenged anyone to make a clip showing him using the term ‘Hindu terror’, an allegation the BJP has repeatedly leveled against him.
He asked, “I never said that. Show me a clip where I have called Hindus terrorists. I am a Hindu myself. Why should I call myself a terrorist?”
Batla House Encounter Stand
Singh has also been criticized for publicly questioning the Batla House encounter in the Delhi neighborhood in 2008, calling it “fake” and urging a judicial inquiry into the incident.
When asked whether he should apologize for the subsequent developments and his claim that the encounter was genuine, he replied, “Why should I apologise?”, reaffirming his position that the matter needed further investigation.
Delhi Police Special Cell engaged suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives and lost Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in the Batla House encounter.
Singh’s stance drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused him of weakening the police and national security institutions. Even in previous governments of his own party, the then Home Minister P.
‘Intellectually arrogant’ Chidambaram
In 2010, Digvijay Singh publicly criticized the anti-Naxal strategy of then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. Singh argued that the government’s approach to the Maoist insurgency was too narrowly focused on law and order and failed to address the underlying socio-economic issues.
In a newspaper article, Singh wrote that he had known Chidambaram for decades and described him as “an extremely intelligent, articulate, committed and honest politician – but extremely tough once he has made up his mind.”
I never said that Hindu terrorists had a hand in the murder of Hemant Karkare. At present, evidence suggests that he was murdered by Pakistani terrorists.
Singh said that he has many times been a victim of his intellectual arrogance.
As usual, Singh’s comments provoked a political reaction from within the Congress. Singh later expressed regret for the embarrassment caused to the government, although he also reiterated some of his genuine concerns about the policy.
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