Digvijaya Singh’s RSS Praise Sparks Row: Congress Leader Clarifies Stance Amid Controversy

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has sparked a political controversy after praising the organisational strength of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), in a social media post that drew sharp reactions from both his party and political rivals.

On Saturday, Singh shared an old, undated black-and-white photograph on X showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and veteran BJP leader L K Advani at a public rally. In the post, written in Hindi, Singh highlighted how grassroots workers from the RSS and the erstwhile Jan Sangh rose through the ranks to occupy the country’s top political offices.

“I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impactful. It shows how an RSS grassroots volunteer and a Jan Sangh/BJP worker, who once sat on the floor at the feet of leaders, went on to become a state’s chief minister and the country’s prime minister. This is the power of organisation,” Singh wrote, while tagging senior Congress leaders including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Priyanka Gandhi.

The post came ahead of a key Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting that finalised the party’s agitational strategy against the scrapping of MGNREGA from January 5. It was widely interpreted as an indirect criticism of the Congress leadership, especially in light of Singh’s recent calls for reforms and decentralised decision-making within the party.

Congress reacts

Singh’s remarks triggered a strong response from Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, who rejected any comparison with the RSS. “There’s nothing to learn from the RSS. What can an organisation known for Godse teach an organisation founded by Gandhi?” Khera said, according to ANI.

Earlier, Singh — a former Madhya Pradesh chief minister — had publicly argued that the Congress needs “more pragmatic, decentralised functioning” to strengthen itself organisationally.

Singh clarifies stance

Amid the backlash, Singh clarified that while he remains firmly opposed to the ideology of the RSS, he acknowledges its organisational capabilities.

“I have said from the beginning that I oppose the RSS ideology. They neither respect the Constitution nor the laws of the country, and it is an unregistered organisation. But I admire their organisational capacity,” Singh said, as quoted by ANI.

Questioning the RSS’s lack of transparency, he added that despite being described as the world’s largest NGO by the Prime Minister, it has no publicly known rules or regulations. “Still, I admire their organisational strength,” he said.

Speaking to NDTV, Singh reiterated that he strongly opposes the RSS for what he described as its disregard for constitutional values and its alleged role in spreading hatred against minorities. However, he argued that the Congress could learn from the RSS’s ability to mobilise cadres at the grassroots.

“The power of their organisation is such that they can go from house to house and sell a comb to a bald person. We need the same type of commitment from Congress workers,” he said.

BJP seizes opportunity

The BJP was quick to capitalise on Singh’s remarks. Senior leader Prakash Javadekar said the Congress has failed to understand the importance of organisation and remains “limited to one family”.

“Digvijaya Singh has realised the strength of an organisation, but the Congress still hasn’t. Congress disrespects its own president Mallikarjun Kharge every day. Only one family has the right to take decisions,” Javadekar said, according to ANI.

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi also took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, citing former US president Barack Obama’s book A Promised Land, in which Obama had made critical observations about Gandhi’s political aptitude.

Another BJP leader, C R Kesavan, said Singh’s post had exposed what he called the “dictatorial” functioning of the Congress, and questioned whether Rahul Gandhi would respond to the remarks.

Meanwhile, sources said that during the CWC meeting, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge asked Digvijaya Singh to stop pressing the issue of organisational reforms so that other leaders could also share their views, underscoring the sensitivities surrounding the debate within the Congress.