Sharing PM photo, Digvijay Singh lauds Sangh
NEW DELHI: A CWC meeting to map out the party’s programmes to corner govt was overshadowed by inner turmoil after senior neta Digvijaya Singh praised the organisational strength of the RSS-BJP, citing how it enabled PM Modi’s rise from the grassroots to the top.Singh’s remarks, made on social media timed with the meeting, appeared aimed at highlighting the need for organisational reforms within Congress. The post delighted BJP and raised eyebrows within the party, as Singh lauded the RSS-BJP system for allowing a ground-level worker to rise to CM and PM.At the CWC meeting, the former MP CM rued “over-centralisation” in Congress and pushed for decentralisation in the presence of top leadership, remarks that observers read with his X post in which he had said Rahul can do it but it is not easy to “convince” him.The post featured a 1990s photograph of Modi sitting on the ground while senior BJP netas, including L K Advani, sat on chairs at a meeting. Singh wrote that it was “very impressive” how an RSS volunteer and Jana Sangh-BJP worker rose to the highest offices, calling it the “strength of organisation”. In another take, Singh warned that there are “sleeper cells” in the party, which need to be identified.BJP seized on the comments to target Congress leadership. Spokesman Sudhanshu Trivedi said BJP’s system recognises a “gudri ke laal” like Modi, while Congress focuses on “Jawahar ke laal”. He said BJP’s working style allows people connected to the ground to rise through talent and organisational support.Targeting Rahul, Trivedi said Singh was not the first to question his understanding, recalling former US President Barack Obama’s description of Rahul in his memoir as having a “nervous, uninformed quality”. He said while Modi rose from the bottom and took BJP to the top, Congress’ “top-down” leadership was taking the party downward.As his comments triggered a storm, Singh clarified that he had merely praised the organisational strength of Sangh Parivar. “I was, am and will be a trenchant critic of the RSS and Modi,” he said, asking whether strengthening an organisation was a bad thing.In the CWC meeting, sources said Singh criticised govt’s bid to undo decentralisation under MGNREGA through changes in the law and pressed for decentralisation within Congress. He complained that district and state chiefs were appointed by AICC and questioned why decisions taken at Udaipur Chintan Shivir, including setting up an election management department, had not been implemented.
