Digvijaya Singh’s RSS remark sparks storm ahead of CWC meet, exposes Congress’s organisational unease as BJP sharpens attack
Just hours before a crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh triggered a political and organisational controversy with a social media post that appeared—at least at first glance—to praise the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS.
The episode not only handed the BJP fresh ammunition but also underlined the simmering debate within the Congress over leadership, organisation, and direction.
In a post on X written in Hindi, Singh shared a photograph he said he had come across on Quora.
The image, purportedly from the 1990s, shows BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani attending an event in Gujarat, with a much younger Narendra Modi seated on the floor nearby. Singh’s caption struck many as unexpectedly admiring.
The way grassroots swayamsevaks of the RSS and workers of the Jan Sangh/BJP sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and then go on to become Chief Ministers and even Prime Ministers shows the power of the organisation. Jai Siya Ram,” Singh wrote.
Clarification after backlash
The post quickly snowballed into a row, with critics accusing Singh of legitimising or even praising the RSS–BJP ecosystem. As criticism mounted, Singh clarified that his words had been “misunderstood” by the media and political rivals alike.
“I have praised the organisational strength, not the ideology. I remain a staunch opponent of the RSS and Modi ji,” he said, seeking to distinguish between acknowledging organisational discipline and endorsing political beliefs.
Yet, for many observers, the damage had already been done. The timing—just ahead of the CWC meeting—ensured that the remarks would be read not merely as a stray comment, but as part of a larger, ongoing internal conversation within the Congress.
Context: Singh’s call for internal reform
The controversy gains added significance when seen alongside Singh’s recent and unusually candid criticism of the Congress’s own organisational structure.
Barely a week earlier, he had publicly urged reforms and decentralisation within the party, directly addressing Rahul Gandhi.
While praising Rahul Gandhi’s grasp of socio-economic issues, Singh argued that the Congress organisation itself needed urgent restructuring.
Drawing a parallel with demands for reform in the Election Commission, he said the Indian National Congress too required “more pragmatic, decentralised functioning.”
“You have started with organisation Srijan, but much more needs to be done,” Singh wrote, adding pointedly that while he trusted Rahul Gandhi’s intent, “convincing you is not easy.”
Analysts see Singh’s remarks on the RSS and BJP as indirectly reinforcing this argument: that political success in India is increasingly tied to strong, decentralised grassroots organisation—something the Congress has struggled to rebuild since its electoral decline.
BJP seizes the moment
The BJP was quick to exploit the episode. Party spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari framed Singh’s comments as evidence of deep divisions within the Congress.
“Digvijaya Singh openly dissents against Rahul Gandhi. He has made it clear that under Rahul Gandhi, the Congress organisation has collapsed.
This is Congress versus Congress on public display,” Bhandari said, sharpening the narrative of a party at war with itself.
From the BJP’s perspective, Singh’s post served two purposes: it allowed the party to project its organisational strength while simultaneously portraying the Congress as confused, internally divided, and lacking coherence.
Kharge shifts focus back to MGNREG.A
Inside the CWC meeting itself, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attempted to pull the conversation back to what the party sees as its central political battleground—the alleged scrapping and renaming of MGNREGA.
In his opening remarks, Kharge said it was the party’s “collective responsibility” to formulate a concrete plan and build a nationwide movement against the Modi government’s decision.
He accused the Centre of acting without study, evaluation, or consultation, comparing the move to the now-repealed farm laws.
“By scrapping MGNREGA, the Modi government has stabbed the poor in the back after kicking them in the stomach,”
Kharge said, using characteristically sharp language to underline the Congress’s intent to mobilise mass opposition.
An analytical reading
Political analysts argue that the Digvijaya Singh episode reveals more than just a communication misstep.
It highlights a tension within the Congress between ideological opposition to the BJP–RSS and a grudging recognition of their organisational effectiveness.
Some see Singh’s remarks as an uncomfortable but honest diagnosis: that the Congress’s electoral decline is rooted not only in leadership or messaging, but in the erosion of its grassroots machinery.
Others believe such comments, especially when aired publicly, only reinforce the BJP’s narrative of a disoriented opposition.
What is clear is that the Congress is fighting battles on multiple fronts—against the Modi government on policy issues like MGNREGA, and within itself on questions of structure, decentralisation, and authority.
Singh’s post, whether intended as praise or provocation, has inadvertently exposed these fault lines at a moment when the party is striving to project unity and purpose.
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