Pawan Khera criticises Digvijaya's praise for RSS: 'What can an organisation known for Godse teach...?'

Pawan Khera

• Digvijaya Singh's praise of RSS's strength sparks controversy
• Pawan Khera responded, saying Congress has nothing to learn from RSS
• Singh opposes RSS ideology but admires their organizational skills.

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Chairman of the Media and Publicity Department of Congress, Pawan Khera, on Sunday, took a dig at party leader Digvijaya Singh for praising the organisational strength of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), stating there is nothing to learn from the Sangh.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has sparked a row within the party after sharing an old photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani and lauding the RSS's organisational structures.

In a sharp jibe at the Sangh, Khera linked the RSS to Nathuram Godse, a Hindutva ideologue who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.

Congress leader Pawan Khera says, "There's nothing to learn from the RSS. What can an organisation known for Godse teach an organisation founded by Gandhi?"

Digvijaya Singh had shared a black-and-white photograph from the 1990s, found on social question-and-answer website Quora, showing a young Narendra Modi seated on the floor near senior BJP leader LK Advani at an event in Gujarat.

In a post shared on X, Singh remarked on how individuals who once worked at the grassroots level could rise through the organisational hierarchy to become Chief Minister and eventually Prime Minister. He described this as the "power of organisation", while tagging senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, as well as PM Modi.

"I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impressive. In what way did the grassroots swayamsevak of RSS and the worker of Jan Sangh @BJP4India sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and become the Chief Minister of the state and the Prime Minister of the country? This is the power of the organisation. Jai Siya Ram. @INCIndia @INCMP@kharge @RahulGandhi @priyankagandhi @Jairam_Ramesh @narendramodi," Singh's X post read.

Offering a clarification, he said that he firmly opposes the Sangh's ideology but admires their organisational capacity. Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "I've been saying this from the beginning: I am opposed to the ideology of the RSS. They neither respect the Constitution nor the country's laws, and it's an unregistered organisation. But I admire their organisational capacity because an organisation that isn't even registered has become so powerful that the Prime Minister says from the Red Fort that it is the world's largest NGO."

He further claimed the lack of transparency in the organisation, stating, "If it is an NGO, then where are its rules and regulations? But still, I admire their organisational capacity."

Meanwhile, commenting on the Congress party's organisational strength, Singh said there is scope for improvement. "I can say this much that there is room for improvement, and every organisation should always have room for improvement," he said.

Describing the Congress as a movement-based party, Singh added, "The Congress party is fundamentally a party of a movement. I have said this many times that the Congress party is and should remain a party of a movement. But converting that movement into votes, that's where we fall short."