Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh sparked a row recently with his social media praising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ideological fountainhead.
On Saturday, Singh, the Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) issued a clarification and said that although he values robust organisational structures, he continues to strongly stand against the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Singh had shared a black-and-white photograph from the 1990s, sourced from the social question-and-answer platform Quora and said that the BJP-RSS allow grassroots workers to grow within the organisation to top posts like chief minister and prime minister. The post showed a young Narendra Modi sitting on the floor beside senior BJP leader LK Advani at an event in Gujarat.
Singh is no stranger to controversy, and this is not the first time the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister has stirred a hornet’s nest within the Congress. On several occasions, Digvijaya Singh’s remarks and social media posts have left his party on the defensive.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, reacting to former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister’s remarks said that an organization known for Godse cannot teach anything to an organization founded by Gandhi
A member of the erstwhile royal family of Raghogarh in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district, the 78-year-old is a two-time Rajya Sabha member, whose current term will end in 2026. He has also served as a two-term chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.
Here is a list of controversies sparked by Digvijaya Singh in the past:
The 2016 Surgical Strikes
In 2023, Singh triggered a massive political row when he questioned the 2016 surgical strikes that India’s armed forces carried out across the Line of Control against terror launch pads in the aftermath of Uri attack.
Singh had claimed there was ‘no proof’ that the 2016 surgical strikes had been carried and accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre of “peddling lies” about the operation.
Singh’s remarks sparked a BJP backlash. The ruling party said the Congress was “blinded by hate” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had insulted the country’s Armed Forces. The Congress distanced itself from Singh’s comments, with senior leader Jairam Ramesh saying he “does not reflect the position of the party”.
The Hindu Terror Term
In December 2021, Singh claimed that Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare chief, who was killed 2018 Mumbai attacks, had told him about threats to his life from anonymous callers because he had held Hindu right-wing activists like Pragya Singh Thakur for the Malegaon blast.
Singh later clarified his remarks. “I have never said that Hindu terrorists were involved in killing Hemant Karkare. As of now, evidence suggests that he was killed by Pakistani terrorists,” Digivijaya said adding “the fact remains Hindu groups were harassing Karkare”.
The Congress distances itself from Digvijaya’s remarks. “Digvijaya Singh is a senior party leader but he has not spoken on behalf of the party. Being from the Madhya Pradesh, Digvijaya knew Karkare. His conversation with Mr Karkare was in his private capacity and the conversation was a private one,” Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi said.
BJP had also strongly condemned this statement from Digvijaya. BJP Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad had said, “Digvijaya Singh has hinted that Hemant Karkare was under threat from Hindu elements and RSS. We condemn this statement. There are better ways to remain in headlines.”
Singh had often been linked for coining the term “Hindu terror” while speaking about extremist violence. The BJP accused him of maligning Hinduism, while Congress later distanced itself from the phrase.
Singh has, however, repeatedly said that he never used the phrase “Hindu terror” or “Hindu terrorism” and that he has always spoken about what he called “Sanghi terrorism” — meaning terrorism linked to individuals influenced by RSS-related ideology, not the Hindu religion itself.
In 2019, in an exclusive interview to The Hindu , Singh dared anyone to produce a clip showing him using the term ‘Hindu terror’, a charge the BJP has repeatedly hurled at him.
“I have never said it. Show me a clip where I have called Hindus terrorists. I am a Hindu myself. Why should I call myself a terrorist,” he asked.
The Batla House Encounter Stand
Singh has also been criticised for publicly questioned the 2008 Batla House encounter in a Delhi neighbourhood describing it as “fake” and urging for a judicial probe into the incident.
When asked if he should apologise given subsequent developments and assertions that the encounter was genuine, he responded “Why should I apologise?”, reaffirming his position that the matter warranted further scrutiny.
Delhi Police’s Special Cell engaged suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives and lost Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in Batla House Encounter.
Singh’s stance drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused him of undermining the police and national security institutions. Even within his own party’s earlier governments, leaders such as then-Home Minister P Chidambaram maintained that all official investigations had upheld the encounter as genuine, highlighting a divergence between Singh’s personal remarks and broader government positions at the time.
‘Intellectually arrogant’ Chidambaram
In 2010, Digvijaya Singh publicly criticised then-Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s anti-Naxal strategy. Singh argued that the government’s approach to Maoist insurgency was too narrowly focused on law and order and failed to address underlying socio-economic issues.
In a newspaper article, Singh wrote that he had known Chidambaram for decades and described him as “extremely intelligent, articulate, committed and a sincere politician — but extremely rigid once he makes up his mind.”
I have never said that Hindu terrorists were involved in killing Hemant Karkare. As of now, evidence suggests that he was killed by Pakistani terrorists.
Singh added that he had been “a victim of his intellectual arrogance many times.”
Like always, Singh’s comments drew a political backlash, including from within the Congress. Later Singh expressed regret for the embarrassment they caused the government, although he also reiterated some of his substantive concerns about policy.
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