ABP MP Shikhar Sammelan: Digvijaya Singh Mocks Allegations Against Anil Deshmukh, Jibes 'All Was Fine Till Param Bir Singh Was Commissioner'

When asked about allegations against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Digvijaya Singh jibed: "Everything was fine till Param Bir Singh was Commissioner".

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New Delhi: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh spoke to ABP News on Sunday during the Madhya Pradesh edition of Shikhar Sammelan held on the occasion of the BJP government completing one year of rule in the state.

Digvijaya Singh highlighted the work of former CM Kamal Nath's government, saying that the public support and mandate was with Congress after the 2018 assembly elections.

He alleged that BJP conspired to topple Congress' government as the latter was going after corruption in the state: "Shivraj Chouhan had said that he would be devastated if all this continues".

He further accused CM Shivraj Chouhan of having deep links with the sand mafia, adding that he is willing to defend himself in court over the claim.

About Jyotiraditya Scindia

Coming the deflection of Jyotiraditya Scindia and his loyalists that played a key role in BJP coming to power in MP, Digvijaya Singh said: "We tried a lot to save the government but we couldn't. We trusted Scindia Ji, he was a rising leader. He was number 2 after Kamal Nath", calling the BJP government a "khareedi hui sarkar" (a bought-out government).

When asked about his repute as being a 'Chanakya' of the Congress party, he responded: "There is only one Chanakya in the country that is Amit Shah. You won't find any non-political person like me".

Talking further about Scindia betraying Congress, he said that the reason behind the move was "ati-mehtwakanksha" meaning excessive ambition.

"He was fine before the Lok Sabha election, he went into depression after losing his seat to his father's follower," the Congress MP claimed.

"Maharaj to Bhai Sahab - what a fall. We used to discuss, had talked to him for hours. The Gandhi family respected the Scindia family and gave opportunities in governance and other spheres. Maybe he lost hope from Congress and left," the former CM added.

When asked about Scindia not being made CM as the reason for his departure, Singh replied saying that "We believe in a democratic approach. Scindia did not even have 25 MLAs' support whereas Kamal Nath was supported by 90 MLAs. We couldn't have forfeited Nath's right to be CM".

"RSS Doesn't Have The Guts To Get Registered"

When asked about his stance on the Batla Encounter Case, Digvijaya Singh refused to give a clear answer by saying that there is nothing more to say after the court judgment.

He also defended himself over allegations of instigating politics on communal lines, stating that he is facing cases filed by both Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

The Congress leader further alleged the role of RSS and its workers in several cases including Sunil Joshi's murder and the Malegaon blast case.

"RSS does not have the guts to get registered," he said alleging no transparency of funds given to the organisation.

"There is no bigger joke than the notion that RSS is party-neutral. They have given clear support to one party," he added.

Congress Leadership & Allegations On Anil Deshmukh

Talking about the Congress leadership, Singh said that "Rahul Gandhi doesn't need a political guru". When asked about Congress leaders quitting the party, he stated that those members "are being bought and only one party is involved this - BJP is buying them".

Questioned about rebel 'G23' leaders' demands, he responded: "They are talking about making Congress stronger and are not saying that Rahul or any Gandhi family member should not be made party's president".

Finally when asked about the political crisis faced by the Maharashtra government in the wake of allegations against Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, he replied saying: "Everything was fine till Param Bir Singh was Commissioner. When Fadnavis asked NIA to probe the matter (Antilia case), I felt BJP is going to probe the case and as per BJP's own investigation, the matter is now taking new turns. It is totally managed".

"I think that since Ambani and Adani's names cropped up continuously during farmers' protest - all this is being done to divert attention from that," he added.