Congress leader praises RSS, kicks off row

Bhopal: AICC general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Deepak Babaria has stirred a row in the Congress when he exhorted the party men to imbibe the culture of discipline and commitment of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“RSS’s culture of discipline and devotion to the motherland need to be followed. We should learn discipline from RSS,” he exhorted the Congressmen at a meeting of the party in Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh a couple of days ago.

Later talking to reporters, he reiterated his remarks, saying, “Yes, I appreciated RSS discipline. There is nothing wrong to praise good things in others. (Prime Minister) Nehru used the RSS in the 1962 India-China war for their discipline.”

Mr Babaria’s observation came in the wake of two rival groups in Congress in Vidisha exchanging blows and engaging in fisticuffs in the meeting.

Non-availability of a seat for a local Congress leader had led his supporters to create chaos in the meeting. They were, however, resisted by the supporters of the rival leader leading to the scuffle between them. Earlier last week, Mr Babaria was manhandled by a section of party men said to be loyalists of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader

Ajey Singh at Rewa when he declared that either Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Kamal Nath or party MP Jyotiraditya Scindia would be declared chief ministerial nominee by the party ahead of upcoming assembly elections in the state, slated for November-December this year.

Mr Babaria’s comments come in the wake of Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacking BJP and RSS for their “divisive” culture.