Digvijay Singh: My Sanatan dharma is for unity, theirs for division

In bipolar Bhopal Congress candidate Digvijay Singh sees to it that Hindu sentiments are not hurt His daily campaign ensures visits to multifaith shrines but what remains striking is the love and openness to accept the principles of Hindu Sanatan dharma that Digvijays opponent Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur of the BJP invokes while asking for votesSupremely fit at this age Digvijay Singhs skull gear a white gamccha with a tricolour print protects him from the soaring May temperatures As aarti thalis welcome Diggi Raja in both rural and urban areas he tells people to elect the party that is not divisiveWe ask the candidate about several issues as he is driven around in a black SUVPeople wonder about your other side which is your love for pujaarcha religious activities and newfound love for HindutvaI have always been very religious because my mother was Religion for me is entirely personal I think it should not be a question of politics Why should there be a competitive feeling between the different sects of religions Religion brings people together particularly the Hindu Sanatan dharma which is not divisive at all In fact all religions say so Your actions have to be fair and just in the multifaith societyBut your opponent says she is a true representative of Sanatan dharmaShe is entitled to her view If that is her understanding then I cant help it and I would not counter it If her or her partys understanding is creating problems for society then it is for the people to decide In a multifaith society you cannot impose your faith on others You cannot impose on others as to what they should wear and eatYou are accused of coining the term saffron Hindu terrorism and this has become the main agenda for the hot seatShow me a single clip or video in which I say so In fact R K Singh former home secretary got this term coined Mumbai and Punes former commissioner of police Satyapal Singh have also named the people who have links with this particular ideology Both officers were made ministers in the BJP government The two have been rewarded for that This proves that they BJP wanted officers to say things that would polarise society in the name of religionHas the spiritual experience of Narmada Parikrama changed you as a person and as a politicianI was thinking about doing the parikrama from the day I had this kind of vision sometime in 1998 Frankly I did not know people were doing the parikrama I discussed my wish with my spiritual guru Swami Swarupanand the senior most Shankaracharya of the country The guru said you must do it if you want an experience The six months 10 days in which I walked 3100 km was a onceinalifetime experienceDid the parikrama have any politics attachedNo not at all I scrupulously avoided making any political statement about itYour agenda for the Bhopal seat isFor them BJP talking about development doesnt exist They are only fighting issues like terrorism with communal overtones They are not talking about black money corruption jobs and election promises Mr Modi had made As far as the Bhopal seat is concerned Im totally fighting on what I can do and what I have done for them so far as the CM of MP I am not concerned about what they speak against me I dont want to rebut I am an open bookPeople say you wasted years when you decided to not contest polls for 10 years Why have you ended the rajsanyas this time aroundI always felt there has to be accountability and credibility in politics I had said that if I didnt win the Assembly elections I would not contest any polls for 10 years Many people asked me to contest during that period but that would have been loss of face for meAlso there were people in the Congress party who thought that my policies as then CM cost the party the elections I withdrew But the leaders who wanted me out could not deliver in future Here Im in now after a good show in MP elections By Gods grace my party will be able to make a government in New Delhi as wellWill your victory here be a resounding response to the adversaries in the CongressI dont hold it against anyone Ive always loved the challenge That is something that encourages me to move on and take up a challenge no matter how difficult it isCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates