If BJP Respects Gandhi, It Should Expel All Who Glorify Godse: Digvijaya Singh

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday said that if the BJP really respects Mahatma Gandhi, it should expel from the party all those who glorify his assassin, Nathuram Godse. Members of the RSS and affiliated organisations are taught to admire Godse, he said, alleging that if one looks into the mind of prime minister Narendra Modi, one would find similar sentiments.

The Congress leader was commenting on a controversial statement made by BJP MP from Bhopal, Pragya Thakur, about Godse in Parliament. "If they (BJP) are truly influenced by personality and ideas of Mahatma Gandhi and respect him, all those who glorify Godse and call him patriot should be immediately expelled from the party," Singh said, speaking to reporters at the Raipur airport.

"They (people from the Sangh parivar) have been told from the very beginning that Godse did a good thing by killing Gandhi.

"You may say later that they have apologised, etc, but if you were to look into Modi’s mind, you will find same situation ('swayam Modi ji ke jahan ko agar tatologe, unke yaha bhi yahi halat milenge')," he said.

When pointed out that the Shiv Sena, which had supported the BJP’s demand of Bharat Ratna for Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, is now Congress’s ruling alliance partner in Maharashtra, Singh said he respects Savarkar for his role in freedom struggle and his incarceration in Cellular Jail, but not his Hindutva ideology.