Congress leader takes dig at BJP, RSS

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday took a dig at the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, saying they should celebrate their 'ahankar' (arrogance) rather than 'swabhiman' (pride).

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa has launched a 'Jan Swabhiman Abhiyan' (people's pride campaign) to expose alleged attempts by the opposition to mislead the nation in the guise of freedom of expression.

The disdain with which journalists were beaten up and a Supreme Court-appointed panel to report on the situation in the Patiala House courts complex in New Delhi was treated showed increasing signs of fascism by the ruling establishment, Digvijay Singh said at a press conference at the state Congress headquarters here.

Referring to verbal and physical attacks on media persons and a lawyers' committee and sedition charges on Jawaharlal Nehru University students, Singh asked: "Are these acts of swabhiman (pride)? Swabhiman for whom? We strongly condemn it."

"It is not swabhiman, it is abhiman (arrogance) of the real face of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarathi Parishad."

"Even the six-member committee of senior lawyers appointed by the honourable Supreme Court was abused and bottles and stones thrown at them. The JNUSU (Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union) president (Kanhaiya Kumar) was manhandled. The press reporters were again abused and manhandled by lawyers of the Sangh brigade at Patiala House courts in Delhi on Wednesday," Digvijay Singh said.

"It shows the blatant fascist character of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar that they have no respect for the law," the Congress leader added.