Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Saturday reiterated his statement that he is strongly opposed to the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), but praises its organizational ability.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, “This is what I have been saying from the beginning: I am opposed to the ideology of the RSS. They neither respect the Constitution nor the laws of the country, and it is an unregistered organisation. But I admire their organizational ability because an organization which is not even registered has become so powerful that the Prime Minister says from the Red Fort that it is the largest non-governmental organization in the world.”
He also claimed a lack of transparency in the organization, saying, “If it is an NGO, where are its rules and regulations? Still, I admire their organizational ability.”
His comments came after he earlier in the day shared a black and white photograph from the 1990s, found on social question-answer website Quora, in which a young Narendra Modi is seen sitting on the floor near senior BJP leader LK Advani at an event in Gujarat.
In a post shared on
He described it as “the power of organisation” and tagged senior Congress leaders including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, Prime Minister Modi and the official handle of the Congress.
Singh’s post read, “I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impressive. How did a grassroots volunteer of the RSS and a worker of the Jan Sangh (BJP) become the Chief Minister of the state and the Prime Minister of the country by sitting at the feet of the leaders? This is the power of the organization. Jai Siya Ram.”
Meanwhile, Singh issued a clarification on the post this morning, saying that while he appreciates strong organizational structures, he remains a staunch opponent of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Responding to the criticism on his social media post, Singh said that his statement has been misunderstood. He said, “I support the organization. I am against the RSS and Modi ji. You have misunderstood. I have praised the ‘organization’. I was, am and will remain a staunch opponent of the RSS and Modi. Is it wrong to strengthen the organization and praise it?”
Meanwhile, commenting on the organizational strength of the Congress party, Singh today said there is scope for improvement in it. “All I can say is that there is room for improvement, and there should be room for improvement in every organization,” he said.
Describing Congress as a movement-based party, Singh said, “Congress Party is basically a movement party. I have said this many times that Congress Party is a movement party and it should remain a movement party. But we fail to convert that movement into votes.”
