Won’t ban Bajrang Dal if voted to power in MP as some good people may also be associated: Digvijaya Singh

Bhopal: Apparently softening his stance on Bajrang Dal, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh said on Wednesday that if voted to power in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly poll, Congress won’t ban the right-wing organisation as “some good people may also be associated with it.”

Veteran Congress leader, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, however asserted that the party would not spare anyone instigating riots or violence.

Digivijaya’s statement was completely opposite to his own remarks made on Bajrang Dal in the past as he has even advocated for banning the right-wing outfit.

“We will not ban Bajrang Dal (if we win polls in Madhya Pradesh) as there can be some good people in Bajrang Dal as well, but we will not spare anyone involved in riots or violence,” Digvijaya Singh said during a Press conference at party headquarters in Bhopal on Wednesday.

Interestingly, Singh's statement on Bajrang Dal came one-and-a-half week after his senior party colleague and state Congress President Kamal Nath organised a four-day 'Ram Katha' at a temple of Lord Hanuman built by himself in his home district Chhindwara.

Therefore, a buzz in the political circle on poll-bound Madhya Pradesh was gaining pace that two veteran politicians - Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh, who lead the Congress, have different stances on politics of ‘Hindutva’ being promoted by the ruling BJP.

But, at the same time, Digvijaya Singh also said, “Bajrang Dal is a group of goons and anti-social elements. This country belongs to all, so Modi ji (PM Narendra Modi) and Shivraj ji (MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan) stop dividing the country and establish peace in the country which will lead to development.”

Earlier this year, Congress’ poll promise in Karnataka of banning outfits like Bajrang Dal had turned into a major controversy, with BJP making it a big issue during its campaigns. The BJP was also trying to corner the Congress in Madhya Pradesh over this issue as the assembly elections are just four months away.

The Bajrang Dal, set up during the Ram temple movement, is the youth wing of the right-wing organisation Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).