Digvijaya Singh questions RSS on transparency, role in communal clashes

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh launched a sharp attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during his visit to Jhansi on Friday, alleging that the organization incites communal violence and operates without transparency or accountability.

Speaking to the media after visiting the Pitambara Peeth in Datia here, Singh made a series of serious allegations against the RSS and the government, calling for greater scrutiny and responsibility.

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Questioning financial transparency of the RSS, he claimed it collects crores of rupees during festivals like Vijayadashami and Guru Purnima without maintaining any public financial records. “Where does all the money go when the organization doesn’t even have a registered account? The RSS never stages public protests, they work through whisper campaigns to provoke Hindus and push an anti-Constitutional agenda,” he alleged.

Countering the RSS narrative that the Muslim population is growing disproportionately, Singh cited census data between 2001 and 2011 to argue that the Muslim population has actually declined faster than the Hindu population.“The government is deliberately withholding the 2021 census data. The RSS and the ruling party are using misinformation to mislead the Hindu community,” he claimed.

Addressing a recent controversy, the Congress leader criticized the filing of an FIR against an individual for displaying a placard with “I Love Mohammad” written on it. “If someone says ‘I love Ramji’ or ‘I love Mahadev’, no case is filed against him. Why then for ‘I Love Mohammad’? This is about intent. Riots happen only when the government and officials allow them to happen,” he said.

Referring to the recent unrest in Bareilly and remarks by cleric Tauqeer Raza, Digvijay Singh said there are provocative figures in all communities. “If someone incites violence, action should be taken, be it a Muslim leader or a Hindu leader. But the government must act swiftly in sensitive situations to prevent communal tension,” he said.

He opposed the use of bulldozers against entire families for the alleged crimes of one person, calling it “unjust and unconstitutional”.

Singh challenged the BJP-led government to name a single so-called “infiltrator” from its alleged list. “Who exactly are these infiltrators? Which polling booth do they belong to? Is there any name? After ruling for 11 years, if the BJP still blames infiltrators, they must produce evidence,” he demanded.

Raising financial questions, he said during the COVID-19 pandemic, the RSS claimed to have provided Rs 7 crore in aid to the public. “I wrote to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asking where this money came from and through which account it was spent. If the RSS is a non-registered body, how was such a large sum collected and used? Why hasn’t there been an investigation into possible money laundering,” he asked.

Digvijaya Singh concluded by reiterating that communal harmony is the responsibility of the state, and if the government wants “not a single riot can happen.”

Singh left for Bhopal soon after addressing the media.