NEW DELHI, Dec 28: Congress MP Manickam Tagore sparked a major political controversy on Sunday by comparing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to terror outfit Al-Qaeda, alleging that the BJP’s ideological mentor “breeds and propagates hatred”.
The Tamil Nadu MP made the remarks while responding to senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s praise for the RSS’s organizational strength, stating “there is nothing to learn from the RSS”.
“RSS is an organisation that spreads hatred. It breeds hatred and propagates hatred. That organisation is like Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda is also an organised group that spreads hatred and terror. There is nothing to learn from the RSS,” Tagore told news agency IANS.
RSS member Indresh Kumar sharply rebutted Tagore’s comparison, linking it to the “intellectual and mental bankruptcy of the Congress leadership and its members”. Kumar emphasized the RSS’s 100 years of work in nation-building while highlighting internal divisions within Congress over Digvijay Singh’s remarks.
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC also condemned Tagore’s statement, saying “little knowledge is a dangerous thing” and asserting that the only lesson from RSS is nation-building, which Congress should learn. She accused Congress of spreading hatred and terror instead.
The controversy erupted on Congress’s 140th foundation anniversary after Digvijay Singh shared a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with LK Advani, praising the RSS’s organizational model that enables grassroots workers to rise to top positions. Singh’s remarks drew divided reactions within Congress, with some leaders dismissing the idea that RSS could offer any lessons to their party.
Singh had tagged senior Congress leaders including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, raising questions about potential internal disagreements within the party.
