NEW DELHI: On the day the Congress marked its 140th foundation anniversary, senior leader Digvijay Singh’s remarks praising the RSS’s organisational strength drew divided reactions from the party leaders, raising fresh questions about potential internal discord.Some Congress leaders dismissed the idea that the RSS could offer any lessons to their party, while others subtly took veiled jibe at Singh.Digvijay Singh sparked row after he shared a black-and-white photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting on the floor near senior BJP leader LK Advani in Gujarat. Singh commented on the ability of grassroots workers to ascend through the ranks to become chief minister and eventually Prime Minister, attributing this to the “power of organization.”He tagged several senior Congress figures, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, PM Modi, and the official Congress handles.”I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impressive. In what way did the grassroots swayamsevak of RSS and the worker of Jan Sangh BJP sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and become the Chief Minister of the state and the Prime Minister of the country? This is the power of the organisation. Jai Siya Ram.” Singh’s X post read.Who said whatReacting to Singh’s remarks, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that an organisation “known for Nathuram Godse” cannot teach anything to an organisation founded by Gandhi.”There’s nothing to learn from the RSS. What can an organisation known for Godse teach an organisation founded by Gandhi?” Khera said.Additionally, Congress MP Manickam Tagore launched a sharp attack on Digvijay Singh by sharing a video of an excellent own goal in a football match, writing, “Famous Self goal. We have one.”Later, he also added that there is “nothing to learn from Godse’s organisation other than Hate. Congress at 140 is still young, and fights hate.”Sachin Pilot said that the opposition party is united, but everyone has the right to their own opinion.”Congress party is united. The country needs a strong opposition. Our intention is to strengthen the organisation. In our party, we have the right to speak about our thoughts,” Pilot said.”He said whatever he had to, and after that, he also gave his clarification. All the Congress leaders have only one goal to strengthen Kharge and Rahul ji,” he added.Meanwhile, Shashi Tharoor, known for ruffling feathers within Congress, distanced himself from Digvijay Singh’s remarks, saying, “We have a history of 140 years, and we can learn a lot from it. We can learn from ourselves, too,””There should be discipline in our organisation. Digvijay Singh can speak for himself,” he added.He, however, also said that organization must be strengthened within Congress.Calling Digvijay Singh a “friend”, Tharoor, when asked whether he had spoken to Singh since he made his remarks, said: “We are friends, and having a conversation is natural. The organisation must be strengthened, there is no question about it.”Digvijay Singh issues clarificationEarlier, Digvijay Singh had issued a clarification, saying, “I’ve been saying this from the beginning: I am opposed to the ideology of the RSS. They neither respect the Constitution nor the country’s laws, and it’s an unregistered organisation.””But I admire their organisational capacity because an organisation that isn’t even registered has become so powerful that the Prime Minister says from the Red Fort that it is the world’s largest NGO. If it’s an NGO, then where have your rules and regulations gone? But I admire their organisational capacity,” he added.Earlier this week, Singh had also praised Rahul Gandhi for his stance on socio-economic issues, giving him “full marks” while calling for internal reforms within the Congress. Drawing a parallel with Rahul Gandhi’s push for Election Commission reforms, Singh argued that the party itself needed similar changes.In another post on X, he wrote, “Rahul ji you are absolutely ‘Bang On’ in matters of Socio-Economic Issues. Full Marks. But now please look at Congress also. Like Election Commission needs Reforms, So Does Indian National Congress. You have started with ‘Sanghatan Srijan’ But we need more Pragmatic Decentralised Functioning.”He added, “I am sure you would do it because I know you can do it. Only problem is that it is not easy to ‘Convince’ you!!”Calls for organisational restructuring within CongressThis is not the first time when senior leaders in Congress have called for organisational restructuring. In December, former Odisha MLA Mohammed Moquim wrote to Sonia Gandhi, calling for “open-heart surgery” in the party and flagging a growing disconnect between the leadership and its workers.In his letter to Sonia Gandhi dated December 8, ex-Odisha MLA Mohammed Moquim highlighted six consecutive election losses in Odisha and three in Lok Sabha while also questioning the selection of Mallikarjun Kharge as the party’s leader, claiming that the 83-year-old veteran “is unable to resonate with India’s youth.”Similar concerns were also raised in the run-up to the Bihar assembly elections this year in November, where the distance between the “leadership” and the workers was on display during seat distribution talks.Earlier in 2020, a group of 23 senior leaders in the party had written a letter to Sonia demanding “collective and inclusive leadership” in the party. While some of these dissidents were expelled, others voluntarily left the party but nothing changed in the way Congress functioned.How BJP reactedMeanwhile, BJP alleged that Digvijay Singh’s praise for the organisational power of the BJP and the RSS was an “open dissent” against Rahul Gandhi’s leadership in the party. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that Gandhi was bringing his party “upside down” because he had been sidelined in the party.”It’s because our Narendra Modi is ‘guddri ke lal’ (diamond in the rough) and their leader is ‘Jawahar ke lal’ (great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru). Since our Narendra Modi has risen to top from bottom, he is taking the party (BJP) also to the top from bottom,” Trivedi told a press conference at the BJP headquarters here.In a swipe to Gandhi, he said, “Since their leader is ‘Jawahar ke lal’ who is now ‘side down from up’, he is bringing his party upside down.”BJP leader CR Kesavan termed the “autocratic and undemocratic” functioning of the Congress leadership.”Will Rahul Gandhi show courage & react to the shocking Truth Bomb dropped by Shri. Digvijay Singh’s tweet, which has totally exposed how Congress’ first family ruthlessly runs the party in a dictatorial manner, and also how autocratic & undemocratic this Congress leadership is?” Kesavan’s X post read.Digvijaya Singh later clarified that while he appreciates strong organisational structures, he remains firmly opposed to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”I support the organisation. I am against the RSS and Modi ji. You have misunderstood. I have praised ‘sangathan’. I was, am, and will remain a staunch opponent of the RSS and Modi. Is it a bad thing to strengthen and praise the organisation?” he said. Go to Source
