New Delhi: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday clarified his recent remarks about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), stating that he had praised the organisation’s organisational capacity, not its ideology, after his earlier post sparked controversy.

Earlier on Saturday, Singh shared a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting on the floor in front of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which he said he found on Quora and described as “very impressive.” He wrote, “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,” adding that this was “the power of the organisation.”

Singh’s post quickly drew criticism, with the BJP using it to question Congress’ stance on the Sangh. In response, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister clarified his position to ANI, stating:

“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. …However, I admire the Sangh’s organisational capacity.”

He further remarked on the RSS’s influence, noting that despite being unregistered, it had become so powerful that the Prime Minister referred to it as the “world’s largest NGO,” questioning its compliance with rules and regulations.

On Congress, Singh acknowledged the party had room for improvement:

“The Congress party is fundamentally a party of a movement… But converting that movement into votes, that’s where we fall short.”

Singh’s original remarks had also been interpreted as a subtle critique of Congress, as he previously called for pragmatic, decentralised functioning within the party and urged Rahul Gandhi to implement reforms. He had tweeted earlier:

“@RahulGandhi ji you are absolutely ‘Bang On’ in matters of Socio-Economic Issues… But now please look at @INCIndia also. Like @ECISVEEP needs Reforms, so Does Indian National Congress.”

The clarification aimed to distinguish between acknowledging the RSS’s organisational strength and rejecting its ideological positions, thereby defusing the political controversy.