Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of basing his political career on the “Hindu-Muslim dispute.” Singh, who is contesting from the Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, claimed that Modi should introspect on who benefits from this divisive approach.
Speaking to PTI during his campaign in the Raghogarh assembly segment, Singh asserted, “If you look at the political history of Modi ji, it is based on the Hindu-Muslim dispute. It would be better if Narendra Modi does some soul-searching as to who is benefiting from it and who all are suffering due to it.”
The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister also criticized the BJP for seeking votes on the basis of caste and religion instead of focusing on real issues. “Where are polls being fought on the basis of real issues?” he asked.
Singh further hit out at the “Gujarat model of development,” stating that Gujarat’s Human Development Index (HDI) ranks outside the top 10 states in the country.
Regarding the BJP’s slogan ‘Ab ki baar, 400 paar,’ Singh noted the party’s accuracy in predicting its seat count in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “In 2014, they gave the slogan of ‘272 paar’ and won 284 seats. Similarly, in 2019, they gave the slogan ‘300 paar’ and won 303 seats,” he said.
When asked about his stance on the role of EVMs in the BJP’s electoral success, Singh expressed his doubts. “At least I believe in this,” he said, adding that he would elaborate on his concerns after the polls.
Singh also raised questions about the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on EVMs, which rejected a plea to revert to paper ballots, stating that the polling devices were secure and eliminated booth capturing and bogus voting. “Repeated and persistent doubts and despair, even without supporting evidence, can have the contrarian impact of creating distrust,” the court had observed.
Commenting on the reduced voter turnout in the first two phases of the Lok Sabha polls compared to the 2019 elections, the Congress leader attributed it to doubts about the reliability of EVMs, pressure on voters, and the prevailing heatwave. “There is also a general lack of enthusiasm among voters about elections this time,” he claimed.
Singh, who lost to the BJP’s Pragya Singh Thakur from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat in the last election, is facing sitting BJP MP Rodmal Nagar in Rajgarh this time. Nagar has held the seat since 2014, while Singh won it in 1984 and 1991. His younger brother Lakshman Singh represented the constituency for five terms as a BJP candidate. In 2009, Singh’s protege Narayan Singh Amlabe was elected from Rajgarh.
Rajgarh constituency has over 18 lakh eligible voters, including over 9.6 lakh men, 9 lakh women, and 23 third gender persons.
