By
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s recent remarks praising the organisational strength of the BJP and the RSS have triggered unease within the Congress and drawn sharp reactions from the saffron camp.
A day after Digvijaya shared an old photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP veteran L.K. Advani, lauding the BJP–RSS organisational framework, Congress leader Manickam Tagore sparked a fresh controversy by comparing the RSS to terror group Al Qaeda.
Reacting to Digvijaya’s comments, Tagore said the RSS was an organisation built on hatred and dismissed suggestions that the Congress could learn anything from it.
“The RSS is an organisation built on hatred, and it spreads hatred. There is nothing to learn from hatred. Can you learn anything from Al Qaeda? Al Qaeda is an organisation of hatred. It hates others. What is there to learn from that organisation?” Tagore told ANI.
Earlier, the Congress MP from Tamil Nadu also shared a video referencing a “famous self-goal” in what was seen as a dig at Digvijaya Singh, whose remarks had drawn criticism from within his own party.
On Saturday, Digvijaya Singh had posted an undated photograph showing Narendra Modi seated on the floor near L.K. Advani, praising the BJP and RSS for what he described as their ability to nurture grassroots workers into top leadership positions.
“I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impactful. It shows how an RSS grassroots volunteer and a Jan Sangh/BJP worker, who once sat on the floor at the feet of leaders, went on to become a state’s chief minister and the country’s prime minister. This is the power of organisation,” Digvijaya wrote on X.
His remarks, which were widely interpreted as a suggestion that the Congress should learn from the BJP–RSS organisational model, led to divided reactions within the party. While senior leader Shashi Tharoor appeared to back Digvijaya, others, including Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, asserted that “there is nothing to learn from the RSS”.
BJP hits out at Tagore
The BJP strongly criticised Manickam Tagore’s remarks, accusing the Congress of indulging in divisive politics. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the party had “gone berserk in its thirst for vote-bank politics”.
“After insulting Hinduism, Sanatan, the Sena and Bharat, they are now targeting a nationalist organisation. An organisation that has worked for over 100 years for national service is being branded as terrorist, while the Congress remains silent on atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh,” Poonawalla said.
Congress leader backs Tagore
Congress leader Salman Khurshid defended Tagore, questioning the RSS’s role as a social organisation.
“If the RSS is a social organisation, why does it try to influence the system in a way that others cannot function freely in a democracy?” Khurshid asked.
“We are determined to expose this deception. Our thinking, our message and our alternatives are far better than theirs,” he added.
