Digvijaya Singh slams RSS for dividing Hindus, Muslims; targets Owaisi for 'friendly matches' with BJP

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday slammed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and alleged that the organisation was dividing the Hindu and Muslim communities by spreading lies and misconceptions. Singh also indicated that the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi was in collusion with the BJP in several states during polls.

Speaking at "Saampradaayik Sadbhaavana Sammelan" (communal harmony conference) organised in Indore, Singh also accused All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi, a former ally of the Congress, of "playing friendly matches" with the BJP in several states during crucial elections.

Reacting to the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comments that the DNA of Hindus and Muslims being one, Singh asked "why were issues like love jihad being raised if that was the case?"

"RSS has been doing the politics of divide and rule for ages. They are dividing the two communities by spreading lies and misconceptions," Singh alleged.

Attacking Owaisi, the Congress leader asked why AIMIM did not contest on all the Assembly seats in Telangana.

"Why did it contest Bihar polls and why is it entering into the fray in Uttar Pradesh? It is just like a friendly match," Singh said.

Singh's comments came even as Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are scheduled to take place early next year.

Owaisi was recently on a visit to the UP which is scheduled to face assembly elections early next year. He has been in talks with smaller political outfits for a possible alliance.

At present, there are 110 Assembly constituencies in UP where Muslim voters make up around 30-39 per cent. On 44 seats, this percentage rises to 40-49 per cent while on 11 seats, the Muslim voters are around 50-65 per cent.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats.

Meanwhile, Singh stated that "fundamentalist ideologies, whether of Hindus or Muslims, are nothing but two sides of the same coin."

Asked to comment on lyricist Javed Akhtar's comparison between RSS and the Taliban, the Congress leader said, "Akhtar is a renowned thinker. I am not aware in what context he made the statement. But the country's Constitution has given the freedom to every citizen including Akhtar to express his views, even if you agree with them or not."

Elaborating further, he said, "Satirist Sampat Saral had once defined Taliban and gave an equation that politics plus religion is equal to the Taliban."

( With inputs from ANI )