New Delhi, Dec 27, 2025: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has once again stirred controversy by sharing an old photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani, lauding the organisational strength of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The post has provoked sharp reactions from the BJP and raised questions about internal dissent within the Congress party.

In his social media post on X (formerly Twitter), Digvijaya Singh wrote that he came across the photograph on Quora, describing it as “very impactful.” The image, which is undated, shows Modi, Advani, and several other BJP leaders at a public rally, with Modi seated in the grassroots manner typical of RSS volunteers in the early years of the Jan Sangh.

Singh noted, “It shows how an RSS grassroots volunteer and a Jan Sangh/BJP worker, who once sat on the floor at the feet of leaders, went on to become a state’s chief minister and eventually the Prime Minister of India. This is the power of organisation.” The post included tags of senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, Priyanka Gandhi, and others, and was widely interpreted as an indirect commentary on the Congress party’s organisational weaknesses.

Context: Digvijaya Singh’s Call for Reforms

The post comes barely a week after Digvijaya Singh had openly called for reforms and decentralised functioning within the Congress party. On December 19, while reacting to a social media post by the Congress, he addressed Rahul Gandhi directly, stating:

“Rahul Gandhi ji, you are absolutely ‘Bang On’ in matters of Socio-Economic Issues. Full Marks. But now please look at @INCIndia also. Like @ECISVEEP needs Reforms, So Does Indian National Congress. You have started with ‘संघटन सृजन’ but we need more Pragmatic Decentralised Functioning. I am sure you would do it because I know you can do it. Only problem is that it is not easy to ‘Convince’ you!!”

This earlier statement made clear that Singh has been an advocate for internal reform and improved organisational structure within the Congress, highlighting the need for decentralised decision-making and stronger grassroots engagement.

BJP Reacts with Sarcasm and Criticism

The BJP was quick to respond to Digvijaya Singh’s post, using it to comment on internal issues within the Congress. BJP leaders described Singh’s remarks as an “internal matter” of the opposition party but also seized the opportunity to take a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi cited former US President Barack Obama, claiming that in his book The Promised Land, Obama wrote that “Rahul Gandhi has a nervous, uninformed quality about him as if he were a student who has done the coursework and was eager to impress the teacher, but deep down lacked either the aptitude or the passion to master the subject.” Tr