FIR against Digvijaya Singh for sharing post sparks row in MP

Bhopal: A First Information Report (FIR) against two-time former Chief Minister and Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh for sharing a controversial post related to former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Singh (RSS) chief M.S. Golwalkar has sparked a row in Madhya Pradesh.

Barbs were traded between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress after Singh in a series of posts criticised both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday.

In a scathing attack on PM Modi and Amit Shah following an FIR lodged against him in Indore, Digvijaya Singh said he had been openly criticising the duo (Modi and Shah) and would stand firm with his side.

"You (Modi and Shah) are gathering a group of power-losing cowardly traitors... today they are singing your praises. The day both of you get down from the chair, all these traitors will run away, leaving you first."

Digvijaya Singh also took jibe at PM Modi and Shah, posting a message on his Twitter handle, which read: "I am a critic of both you, but because you have never compromised with your ideology (which I am fundamentally opposed to), I am also your big fan. God bless you."

The development came when the elections in Madhya Pradesh were just five months away. Two-time former-CM Digvijaya Singh is seen to be playing a major role, preparing to corner the top BJP leaders, especially Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Madhya Pradesh BJP chief V.D. Sharma.

Meanwhile, responding to Singh's attack on PM Modi and Amit Shah, V. D. Sharma said the Congress leader was trying to create unrest in Madhya Pradesh.

Sharma said Singh posted a controversial message about Golwalkar intentionally to create unrest in Madhya Pradesh.

"The Congress, and especially Digvijaya Singh, has always been followers of the British and Mughal rule. He has always played a divide and rule game. Digvijaya Singh's post about Golwalkar amounts to a defamation case against him," Sharma added.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh unit of Congress alleged that the FIR against Digvijaya Singh was lodged over the fear of losing elections in Madhya Pradesh.

Abbas Hafeez, a Congress spokesperson, said: "The BJP knew that Digvijaya Singh would expose them, which is why they have lodged an FIR against him. Whatever he (Digvijaya) wrote on social media, has already been mentioned in the books related to Golwalkar. The BJP, anyhow, is trying to divert attention from the main issues during the elections, but they wouldn't succeed."

Notably, the Indore Police have registered a case against Digvijaya Singh for allegedly sharing a controversial post on Golwalkar on Sunday.

The FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint by a lawyer and RSS worker, Rajesh Joshi.

The complainant has alleged that Digvijaya Singh had shared a controversial poster on Facebook bearing the name and picture of "Guruji" (as Golwalkar was popularly known) to incite people by creating a conflict among Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and Hindus.

Police have booked Digvijaya Singh under IPC section 154-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 500 (defamation) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).