BHOPAL: AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh’s ‘Hindu terror’ barb has triggered a row in election-bound Madhya Pradesh and left Congress reeling from what it sees as an own goal.Digvijaya, appointed head of Congress Coordination Committee recently, is on a statewide Ekta Yatra in an effort to revive the party at the grassroots before the assembly polls, due in five months. On Saturday, he stirred the hornet’s nest by saying, “I have never said ‘Hindu terrorism’, I always used the term Sangh terrorism. No terror activity can be linked to religion because no religion supports terrorism.” Explaining the term ‘Sangh terror’, he told reporters, “Those accused in the Malegaon, Samjhauta Express and Mecca Masjid bomb blasts were influenced by Sangh ideology. RSS spreads violence, hatred and propagates terrorism.”Two days later, speaking to a television channel, he reiterated his stand, saying: “All Hindu terrorists who were caught have links with RSS. Nathuram Godse , who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, was also an RSS functionary. Their ideology spreads hatred, rears violence and from violence, breeds terrorism.”The state Congress was stunned into silence.Talking in these terms and defining terror the way he did, it will only end-up benefitting BJP-RSS combine, said a PCC leader. As if on cue, BJP said Digvijaya’s statement shows why “even Congress doesn’t take him seriously”. “Congress has relieved Digvijaya Singh of all responsibilities in the state to avoid internal conflicts. His attacks on RSS and BJP carry no weight and the public knows why Digvijaya stirs up controversial remarks ahead of elections. BJP has never taken him seriously, and now neither is Congress,” said BJP Rajya Sabha member Prabhat Jha.A Congress leader from Bhopal told TOI, “The party is devastated by Digvijaya’s comments. He has come up with such statements when there are a hundred reasons for BJP to lose the next election.” Former Union minister Salman Khurshid defended Digvijaya, but BJP leader Vishwas Sarang said: “Congress always makes caste-based remarks and Digvijaya’s statements are part of the party’s political game plan. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has assigned Digvijaya to instigate caste-based politics in MP ahead of elections. Rahul himself went to Italy to meet separatist forces.”

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