Congress Member of Parliament Manickam Tagore ignited a significant political controversy on Sunday by drawing a direct parallel between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the global terrorist network Al-Qaeda. He labelled both as entities founded on and propagating hatred, in a sharp rebuttal to senior party colleague Digvijaya Singh's recent praise for the RSS's organisational prowess.
A Controversial Comparison Sparks Political Firestorm
Speaking to the news agency ANI, Tagore was unequivocal in his condemnation. He stated that the RSS is an organisation built on hatred and exists to spread hatred. To drive his point home, he posed a rhetorical question: "Can you learn anything from Al-Qaeda?" He answered it himself, asserting that Al-Qaeda is also an organisation of hatred that thrives on hating others, and there is nothing to learn from such bodies.
This strong reaction was triggered by a post on social media platform X by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh. Singh had shared a black-and-white photograph from the 1990s, sourced from Quora, showing a young Narendra Modi seated on the floor near senior BJP leader L.K. Advani at a Gujarat event.
The Trigger: Singh's Praise for RSS 'Organisational Power'
In his post, Singh highlighted the RSS's organisational hierarchy, noting how a grassroots-level 'swayamsevak' (volunteer) could rise to become a Chief Minister and eventually the Prime Minister of the country. He tagged this phenomenon as the "power of the organisation," addressing his post to senior Congress leaders including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Jairam Ramesh, as well as Prime Minister Modi and the Congress party's official handles.
Tagore swiftly dismissed this viewpoint. He argued that one should instead learn from the Indian National Congress, which, under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership, was transformed into a mass people's movement that united the nation. He emphasised the Congress party's 140-year history as a model for unity, questioning why anyone should seek lessons from "organisations of hatred."
Internal Discord and Political Repercussions
Tagore did not mince words in criticising Singh's remarks internally, calling them a "famous self-goal" for the party. He expressed concern that such statements undermine the efforts of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who is positioned as fighting for the people against government monopoly. "We should support him, and such a statement does not help in Rahul ji's struggle," Tagore told ANI.
In a series of posts on X, Tagore reinforced his stance, stating there is "nothing to learn from Godse's organisation other than Hate," in an apparent reference to Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi's assassin who had past links to the RSS. He added that the Congress at 140 is "still young, and fights hate."
Following the backlash, Digvijaya Singh issued a clarification. He stated that his praise was strictly for the RSS's organisational structure and discipline, not its ideology. He reaffirmed his opposition to both the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to capitalise on the apparent discord within the Congress. BJP national spokesperson C.R. Kesavan accused the Congress leadership, particularly the Gandhi family, of running the party in an "autocratic and undemocratic" manner. He challenged Rahul Gandhi to react to what he called the "shocking Truth Bomb" dropped by Singh's tweet, which he claimed exposed the party's dictatorial functioning.
The episode, which unfolded on December 28, 2025, highlights the ongoing ideological battle in Indian politics and the internal tensions within the Congress party regarding how to position itself against the Sangh Parivar's organisational model.
