Sanjay Raut seeks clarity from Digvijaya Singh after RSS organisational praise; Congress denies rift

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said he would speak to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh to understand the change in his remarks praising the RSS’s organisational strength, which triggered speculation of differences within the Congress

Will speak to Digvijaya Singh to understand change in RSS remarks: Sanjay Raut

Calling Digvijaya Singh a friend, Sanjay Raut (above) said, “The fact is, the RSS never participated in the country’s freedom struggle." File pic

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said he would speak to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh to understand the change in his opinion after the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister’s (CM’s) remarks praising the organisational strength of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sparked speculation about differences within his party, news agency ANI reported.

Calling Digvijaya Singh a friend, Raut said, “The fact is, the RSS never participated in the country’s freedom struggle. The RSS never hoisted or displayed the national tricolour flag at its offices for 50 years. The RSS is at the forefront of creating religious tension in the country. I have seen that Digvijaya Singh ji has launched a very strong attack on the RSS in Parliament. So what happened all of a sudden? He is a friend of mine, and I will understand from him how this change in his opinion came about.”

#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra | On Congress leader Digvijaya Singh praising the organisational strength of the RSS, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, "The fact is, the RSS never participated in the country's freedom struggle. The RSS never hoisted or displayed the national… pic.twitter.com/X629Q5uxo5
— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2025

Meanwhile, Congress leader Sachin Pilot reiterated that the party remains united and rejected claims of any ideological rift, ANI reported.

Speaking to the media, the former Rajasthan Deputy CM said, “Congress party is united. The country needs a strong opposition. Our intention is to strengthen the organisation. In our party, we have the right to speak about our thoughts.”

Pilot added that Singh had expressed his personal views and later clarified them, but the broader objective of the party remained unchanged, ANI reported.

“He said whatever he had to, and after that, he also gave his clarification. All the Congress leaders have only one goal to strengthen Kharge and Rahul ji,” he said.

Digvijay Singh says comments on RSS were misunderstood

Singh on Saturday reiterated that while he remains opposed to the ideology of the RSS, he admires its organisational capability.

“I’ve been saying this from the beginning: I am opposed to the ideology of the RSS. They neither respect the Constitution nor the country’s laws, and it’s an unregistered organisation. But I admire their organisational capacity because an organisation that isn’t even registered has become so powerful that the Prime Minister says from the Red Fort that it is the world’s largest NGO,” Singh said.

Speculation about internal differences within the Congress grew after Singh remarked on the party’s organisational strength, saying there was “room for improvement” and that every organisation should always strive to improve.

His comments followed a social media post on Saturday in which he shared a black-and-white photograph from the 1990s showing current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then in his youth, seated near senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani at an event in Gujarat.

“I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impressive. In what way did the grassroots swayamsevak of RSS and the worker of Jan Sangh @BJP4India sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and become the Chief Minister of the state and the Prime Minister of the country? This is the power of the organisation. Jai Siya Ram,” Singh wrote in his post.

Responding to criticism, Singh said his remarks had been misunderstood. “I support the organisation. I am against the RSS and Modi ji. You have misunderstood. I have praised ‘sangathan’. I was, am, and will remain a staunch opponent of the RSS and Modi. Is it a bad thing to strengthen and praise the organisation?” he said.

(With ANI inputs)