New Delhi

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday issued a clarification after sharing an old photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani, saying that while he appreciates strong organisational structures, he remains firmly opposed to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Responding to criticism over his social media post, Singh said his remarks had been misunderstood.

"I support the organisation. I am against the RSS and Modi ji. You have misunderstood. I have praised 'sangathan'. I was, am, and will remain a staunch opponent of the RSS and Modi. Is it a bad thing to strengthen and praise the organisation?" he said.

Singh's remarks came after he had shared a black-and-white photograph from the 1990s, found on social question-and-answer website Quora, showing a young Narendra Modi seated on the floor near senior BJP leader LK Advani at an event in Gujarat.

In a post shared on X, Singh remarked on how individuals who once worked at the grassroots level could rise through the organisational hierarchy to become Chief Minister and eventually Prime Minister. He described this as the "power of organisation", while tagging senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, PM Modi, as well as the official handles of the Congress.

"I found this picture on the Quora site. It is very impressive. In what way did the grassroots swayamsevak of RSS and the worker of Jan Sangh @BJP4India sit on the floor at the feet of leaders and become the Chief Minister of the state and the Prime Minister of the country? This is the power of the organisation. Jai Siya Ram. @INCIndia @INCMP@kharge @RahulGandhi @priyankagandhi @Jairam_Ramesh @narendramodi," Singh's X post read.

The BJP seized upon Singh's latest remarks to attack the Congress. Party National spokesperson CR Kesavan on Saturday said the comments had exposed what he termed the "autocratic and undemocratic" functioning of the Congress leadership.

In a post on X, Kesavan questioned whether Rahul Gandhi would respond to what he called a "truth bomb" dropped by Singh, alleging that it revealed how the party was being run in a "dictatorial manner".

"Will Rahul Gandhi show courage & react to the shocking Truth Bomb dropped by Shri. Digvijaya Singh's tweet which has totally exposed how Congress' first family ruthlessly runs the party in a dictatorial manner and also how autocratic & undemocratic this Congress leadership is?" Kesavan's X post read.

Earlier this month, Singh had urged the party leadership to adopt a more "decentralised" and "Pragmatic Decentralised Functioning".