Bhopal: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh courted controversy on Wednesday after several police personnel on duty during his roadshow in Bhopal were spotted donning saffron stoles.
When questioned by the media, several women personnel said they were a part of the police force, with one admitting that they were made to put on the scarves. While some said they were using the stole to shield themselves from the sun, others refused to give it a political hue, saying the colour symbolised nationalism.
The incident soon sparked a political slugfest with the Congress attempting to play down the issue even as the BJP demanded the Election Commission’s intervention. “The poll body should take cognizance of the fact that the Congress leader tried to make the police personnel part of his road show,” said Rajnish Agrawal, BJP spokesperson.
Bhopal DIG Irshad Wali, however, denied that the women were part of the police force. “No police officer was wearing saffron; the ones who wore the scarf were police volunteers and not employed by MP Police... they identified themselves as police personnel since they are volunteering with us,” he said.
Digvijaya Singh has gone all out to project his Hindutva image in Madhya Pradesh with support from ‘Computer Baba’ aka Namdas Tyagi — once a close aide of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
On Tuesday, thousands of seers led by ‘Computer Baba’ accompanied Singh for a march in the city from Mata Mandir area. They also organised a Hath Yog to pray for Singh’s victory. When asked about his “newfound Hindutva”, the Congress veteran retorted: “Who says I’m not a Hindu?”
Though seers have been rallying behind the Congress candidate, many admitted that they had no political affiliations or inclinations but were only concerned about the construction of the Ram Mandir, a promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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