Digvijay Singh visits shrines to shed anti-Hindu image

Bhopal: Veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who has been fielded by Congress in Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, has taken the “Hindutva” route to wrest the saffron bastion from BJP in the upcoming elections by paying visits to temples and seers.

Mr Singh has so far visited half-a-dozen temples besides seeking blessings of Hindu and Jain seers in the last couple of days before holding a meeting of senior Congress leaders here on Thursday to firm up the strategy to win the ‘crucial election of his political career’.

The leader has visited ashrams of Sharad Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati and Jain seer Acharya Vidya Sagar Maharaj in Madhya Pradesh to seek their blessings besides paying darshan of presiding deities in famed shrines of Gufa, Nebri, Kal Bharavi, and Nandiswar in different parts of the state during the period. “I am a Hindu. But, I don’t flaunt being a Hindu,” he told reporters.

Talking to reporters, Mr Singh attacked the RSS saying that the Sangh was working for the cause of Hindus, but it has reservations about supporting him despite the fact that he too is a Hindu.

Incidentally, Mr Singh attracted criticism from senior BJP leader Babulal Gaur for his actions.

Referring to a statement by senior Congress leader Arif Akeel who called Mr Singh a “sachha (true) Hindu”, Mr Gaur quipped, “Then why Mr Singh was not supporting the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.”