‘Nothing to learn from Godse's organisation’: Congress in firefight after Digvijay Singh’s RSS praise

A day after senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh sparked controversy by praising the organisational strength of the RSS-BJP, the opposition party swiftly moved into damage control mode, insisting that there was nothing to learn from the Sangh.

Singh had shared an old photograph of Narendra Modi with BJP leader L.K. Advani, commenting on how a grassroots worker rose to become both chief minister and prime minister by learning from their leadership.

However, Congress distanced itself from Singh’s remarks. The party linked the RSS to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse, with Congress leader Pawar Khare questioning, “What can an organisation known for Godse teach an organisation founded by Gandhi?”

Discontent within the party over Singh’s statement was evident, as reflected in a post by MP Manickam Tagore. “Famous self-goal... we have one,” he wrote, sharing a video of an own goal in a football match.

In another tweet, Tagore emphasised that the Congress had nothing to learn from “Godse’s organisation other than hate,” adding, “Congress at 140 still young and fights hate.”

Singh’s remarks, which praised the organizational functioning of the BJP-RSS, came ahead of the CWC meeting, where the party decided on its agitational plan against the scrapping of MGNREGA starting January 5. According to PTI sources, Singh had raised the issue of strengthening Congress’s grassroots organization to better fight against the ruling BJP and eventually oust it from power. However, some senior leaders reportedly stopped him from discussing matters unrelated to MGNREGA during the meeting.

Later, Singh clarified his comments, asserting that he was a staunch opponent of both the BJP and RSS. "In fact, I praised the party organisation. You people have misunderstood things. I am a staunch opponent of the BJP and the RSS," he said.