New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) The NDA allies on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh over his remarks accusing the BJP and the RSS of playing a "coordinated game of division" with the AIMIM, asserting that the veteran leader was making such statements only to keep his politics alive.
Digvijaya Singh had accused the BJP and the RSS of pursuing a "coordinated game" of division in tandem with the AIMIM.
He also claimed that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Muhammad Ali Jinnah were jointly responsible for the Partition of India.
Commenting on the prevailing political climate, Singh alleged that the RSS and Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM function as mirror images of each other, with one claiming that Hindus are under threat and the other asserting that Muslims are in danger, thereby polarising society for mutual political benefit.
Reacting strongly to Singh's remarks, leaders from the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the NISHAD Party told IANS that it was the Congress that was responsible for the division of the country.
Bihar Minister Dilip Jaiswal, speaking to IANS, said, "This is very old rhetoric from Digvijaya Singh. He keeps his politics alive by making such statements. He no longer has any relevance in the Congress party, and Rahul Gandhi does not consult him. That is why he is trying to revive himself by using such language."
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma also criticised Singh's comments and questioned the intent behind them.
"Why would the BJP want to intimidate anyone? We work to stand as a strong force alongside the people of India. What he is saying is intended to create confusion; they can say anything. If someone says that if the society of the country is divided, the country gets divided, would that be wrong? The society was divided in the country, and Pakistan was created, right? The society was divided, and Bangladesh was formed," he said.
Shiv Sena leader from the Shinde faction, Sanjay Shirsat, said that Digvijaya Singh's statements carried little significance.
"What Digvijaya Singh said does not matter that much. The Congress has divided the country -- separating Dalits and Muslims. All these divisions, be it in communities or religion, have been created by the Congress," he said.
Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo said that Singh was well aware of who was responsible for the Partition of India.
"Digvijaya Singh knows very well who was responsible for the Partition of the country. The Congress itself endorsed Partition in its session by accepting Jinnah's proposal. Those who divided the country should feel ashamed before making such statements today," he said.
Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Nishad also hit out at the Congress, saying, "RSS has always been engaged in serving humanity. The Congress, on the other hand, has always had an agenda of dividing the nation. If they have a problem with the RSS, they should find their own place elsewhere, because until 2050, the country will run on the ideology of PM Modi and the RSS. There is no space here for the Congress."
However, leaders from the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) came out in support of Digvijaya Singh, backing his remarks and stating that the ideologies of both the BJP-RSS and AIMIM were "harmful" to the nation.
Congress MP Tariq Anwar, speaking to IANS, said, "It is a very correct statement. Both are taking the support of communalism, one is talking about Hindu unity and the other about Muslim unity. Both are harmful to the country."
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that Singh was pointing to a larger political pattern.
"What he means is that both BJP and AIMIM are Team A and Team B of each other, one pulls while the other pushes. It is becoming increasingly clear that you have never seen agencies like the ED, CBI, or Income Tax exert any kind of pressure on AIMIM," she said.
"Both these parties try to put fear in the minds of Hindus and Muslims by stating that they are not safe. People from every community and religion live in this nation, so dividing people like this does not matter," she added.
--IANS
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