Mumbai, Oct 5 (IANS) : BJP MLA Ram Kadam on Monday hit out at senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, accusing him of repeatedly attempting to defame Hinduism and questioning Singh’s remarks on Sanatan Dharma.
Kadam’s remarks came after Singh accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of distorting Sanatan Dharma and dividing the country along religious lines through the promotion of “Hindutva”. Singh’s comments drew a sharp reaction from the BJP.
“The discourse in this country has shifted to constantly harping on Hinduism, driven by the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad promoting ‘Hindutva’, a term coined by Savarkar. Because of this, rifts have been created across the country between Hindus and Muslims, between Hindus and Sikhs, and between Hindus and Christians. India belongs to everyone. Unity in diversity is our strength,” Singh said in a video posted on X.
The 79-year-old Congress leader is set to undertake a ‘Sanatan Swabhiman Yatra’, a foot march from Ujjain to Ayodhya to protest what he described as the alleged exploitation of religion. He also claimed that the word “Hindu” does not appear in religious scriptures.
“Today, no one speaks of the Hindu religion; people speak of Sanatan Dharma. The word Hindu does not appear anywhere in our scriptures, be it the Vedas, Upanishads or Puranas. This is the Sanatan Dharma that the VHP and the RSS are distorting,” Singh had said.
Reacting to the remarks, Kadam told IANS, “This is the same Digvijaya Singh who has always tried to defame Hindus. He linked our sacred saffron colour with terrorism.”
Kadam also turned to the construction and consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
“When Ram Lalla’s consecration ceremony was held in Ayodhya, and the idol was installed, he raised questions about the appearance of the idol. Congress leaders had such cruel and anti-Hindu views that the Ram Temple should not be built in Ayodhya, that the verdict should not come in favour of Hindus, and if it did, it should come late,” he alleged.
“They still hold such views, and that is why they appointed their lawyers in the country’s highest judiciary,” Kadam added.
The BJP MLA then reacted to the joint protest march led by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray towards the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters on Sunday. The protest targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Kadam questioned the nature of the protest and said, “Was the Thackeray brothers’ protest a protest or a fancy dress competition? Someone came dressed as Gabbar Singh, someone as the Election Commissioner, and many other impersonators. Perhaps it was a competition to see who could tell the most lies on stage.”
“The leaders were telling lies one after another. A year ago, to be precise, 11 months ago, in November 2025, these same people took to the streets and protested, demanding the removal of names that appeared twice or thrice on the voter list and the names of fake voters,” he said.
“Whose demand was this? It was the demand of those who launched the protest, and the Election Commission is currently carrying out the same work. Have they forgotten their own demands?” Kadam asked.
He also criticised the opposition leaders over their objections to electronic voting machines (EVMs).
“The EVMs they were talking about were introduced during the Congress regime. Even Congress members were speaking out against them, which is amazing. Uddhav Thackeray has been winning municipal elections for the past 30 years using these same EVMs,” Kadam told IANS.
Turning to the ongoing protest by Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants in Pune, Kadam said the state government stood with the students and had accepted their demands.
“We stand with the MPSC students, and the Maharashtra government has accepted their demands, including 100 per cent support from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,” he said.
However, Kadam alleged that leaders associated with the Sharad Pawar faction were attempting to use the students’ agitation for political purposes.
“Now, if leaders of the Sharad Pawar faction are deliberately trying to promote petty politics by infiltrating their workers under the guise of these students, it is unfortunate,” he said.
“The Maharashtra government does not have the authority to fulfil the demands the students are protesting for. How can it assume the authority that rests with the President? This movement is not of the students; it is of the Sharad Pawar faction,” Kadam alleged.
Meanwhile, Monday marked the fifth day of the MPSC students’ protest in Pune. The agitation has seen three groups emerge amid differences over the various demands raised by the aspirants.
