Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh targeted the RSS again, drawing a comparison between the saffron organisation and the Taliban over views on working women.
Digvijaya Singh quoted a 2013 statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat where the latter reportedly said, "women should be housewives; men should be breadwinners," and asked in a tweet, "Does Taliban and RSS has a similarity of views on working women? Looks like it, unless Mohan Bhagwat ji and Taliban change their views.”
In another tweet, Singh quoted Taliban to have said "women are not competent to be made ministers" and compared Bhagwat’s statement to this.
The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister also targeted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, by quoting a 2014 statement of the latter. Appending a widely circulated newspaper cutting with the headline ‘Yogi’s worldview on women: Women not capable of being left free or independent’, Singh asked, "Is it Yogiji? Are you really serious?"
Singh also questioned the foreign policy of Modi government at Centre vis a vis Afghanistan, tweeting, "India’s foreign policy has totally failed. Modi-Shah should make clear whether India will recognise the Taliban government that has members of listed terrorist organisations and reward-carrying terrorists as members."
The Congress leader’s statements drew sharp reactions from the BJP. Madhya Pradesh BJP chief Vishnu Dutt Sharma said in Bhopal that it was Digvijaya Singh and Congress leadership that supported terrorism and Taliban. “They have to say nothing about organisations like PFI (Popular Front of India) and others that are trying to raise their head in Madhya Pradesh. The RSS is the biggest social organisation in the world that is totally devoted to social welfare and nationalistic work. The RSS or its followers do not need any certificates from the likes of Digvijaya Singh,” Sharma said.
MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra said Digvijaya Singh has always talked about banning RSS because it is a Hindu organisation. “Why doesn’t he talk of banning Rohingyas? Why doesn’t he criticise ISI? This makes the mindset of Digvijaya Singh clear,” Mishra said.
This is Digvijaya Singh’s second big attack on RSS in a week. Earlier, on September 7, during a programme in Indore, he claimed that Muslims can never become a majority community outnumbering Hindus as their fertility rate was falling in India. He challenged RSS chief Bhagwat for an open debate on the issue.
"On one hand, Sangh workers spread poison (of communalism) and on the other hand, Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat says the DNA of Hindus and Muslims is the same. I challenge Bhagwat for an open debate," Singh was quoted as saying. He had further accused people associated with the Sangh of spreading false propaganda on this subject.
