Who is Lakshman Singh? Five past instances when Digvijaya Singh's brother embarrassed Congress
Lakshman Singh has raised his voice against his own party several times. Singh has also criticised Rahul Gandhi and the party over various issues.
New Delhi: Lakshman Singh, the brother of Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, has criticised Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for making 'indecent' comments about Hindus in the Parliament. In an X post, Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Lakshman Singh said, "The comments made on "Hindus" in the Parliament are indecent and unnecessary. It would be appropriate to raise only and only issues related to the people and the country."
In his maiden speech as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi triggered a row when he said the leaders of the ruling party are not Hindus as they engage in 'violence and hate' round the clock. His remarks drew massive protests from the members of the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing Gandhi of calling the entire Hindu community violent.
Lakshman Singh has a history of voicing his dissent within his party, including criticism of Rahul Gandhi and other party-related issues.
Who is Lakshman Singh?
Lakshman Singh is the younger brother of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh. Singh is a seasoned politician, having served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for five terms and as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for three terms.
He launched his political career from the Raghogarh municipality in 1987. He was elected twice as MLA from the Raghogarh assembly seat and five times MP from the Rajgarh constituency, four times for the Congress party and once for the BJP.
Singh switched political allegiance, joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha (2004-2009) from Rajgarh. However, he lost the election for the 15th Lok Sabha, when Congress defeated the BJP in the Rajgarh constituency. He returned to the Congress in January 2013.
In July 2010, Laxman Singh was expelled from the primary membership of the BJP after he publicly condemned Nitin Gadkari for his public speech on the Congress party and Afzal Guru.
Past instances when Digvijaya Singh's brother embarrassed Congress
This is not the first time Digvijaya Singh's brother has embarrassed Congress. He has previously spoken against the party on several occasions. Here are five past instances when Singh went against the party's stand and criticised it.
- Sam Pitroda's racist remarks: Lakshman Singh lambasted Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda for his racist remarks against the Indians. In a social media post, Singh hit out at Pitroda, for his 'extremely shameful' statement. He said, "Sam Pitroda's statement is extremely shameful."
- Rahul Gandhi not big leader: In December 2023, Lakshman Singh has said Rahul Gandhi is an ordinary party worker and parliamentarian and he should not be highlighted so much. "Rahul Gandhi is just a party worker. He is just an MP. Apart from that, he is nothing. You (media) people too should not highlight Rahul Gandhi so much, nor should we. No one becomes a great leader by birth, one becomes great by his/her actions. Don't consider Rahul Gandhi such a great leader, I don't," Singh said.
- Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha invitation: Singh was against the decision of the party high command to decline the invitation of the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Mandir saying it was an inappropriate decision. "As far as invitation is concerned, what is the meaning of declining it? What message are we sending across? When Rajiv Gandhi got it unlocked, who are you (Congress high command) to decline it? If our leadership keeps such advisors, the results would be the same as have come so far...The damage is done, it will be visible in the elections," he added.
- Citizenship Amendment Act: He spoke against the party's stand on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Singh had said that the national parties should "move on and accept CAB". Singh in the tweet wrote, "Citizen Amendment Bill has been passed in Parliament, all parties have expressed their views. More comments, statements on this subject are meaningless. Let's accept it and move on."
- Slams Rahul Gandhi over farm loan waiver lie: Singh in September 2019 criticised Rahul Gandhi over loan waiver and even asked Rahul Gandhi to apologise to the farmers of Madhya Pradesh. "We have not been able to fulfil the promise of farm loan waiver in the state. Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the farmers and clarify to them how long it will take for a loan waiver. It will send a good message to the farmers who are angry," he said.
In March 2022, Singh had also staged a dharna outside Digvijay Singh's house demanding Chachaura to be made as one of the districts of Madhya Pradesh.