Digvijay's latest salvo: BJP is a party of dancers

Terming the Bharatiya Janata Party as a party of "nachiyon (dancers)", Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Tuesday said its party leaders had violated the sanctity of Rajghat by dancing there and demanded an apology from them.

"The way in which party leaders breached the sanctity of Rajghat by dancing there is condemnable. The party should tender an apology to the people," he told reporters.

"Yeh nachiyon ki party kab se ho gayi" (When did the BJP become a party of dancers)," asked Singh.

"The BJP belonged to an ideology which killed Mahatma Gandhi," the senior Congress leader said.

"With its leaders Sushma Swaraj and Vijay Goel dancing there (at the Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, during their protest against the police action on Baba Ramdev and his followers), they have shown that they belonged to this ideology," said Singh.

Swaraj had defended her act, saying she was dancing to the tune of patriotic songs to boost the morale of party cadres which is in keeping with traditions of the BJP.

Taking potshots at BJP leader L K Advani, Singh said he should be ashamed of his statement comparing Jaliawalan Bagh with Ramlila Ground.

"He has insulted the martyrs of Jaliawalan Bagh," he said, adding, "BJP's comparison of Swami Vivekanand with that of Ramdev was unforunate and an insult to Vivekanandji".

Digvijay Singh alleged that the BJP activists received training in telling lies since childhood from Saraswati Shishu Mandir (an RSS-backed school chain).

"With no issue in hand, the BJP has switched from Ram to Ramdev," he said in reply to a question.

"BJP Ram se shuru ho kar Ramdev par pahunch gayi hai," added the Congress general secretary.

Asked whether Ramdev was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Singh said he had never said that.

"After the involvement of RSS was proved in terror activities, it raked up the issue of corruption through Anna Hazare. When this matter was settled, it backed Ramdev," Singh said.