Digvijaya Singh
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday dared the government to arrest him if he has had any association with the Maoists as alleged by the BJP.
"If I am guilty, I challenge the Centre and the state government to arrest me," Singh told reporters at Satna in Madhya Pradesh.
"First, they termed me anti-national and now a Naxalite. If it is so, then arrest me here itself," he said.
Singh also alleged that the recent arrest of Left-wing activists was an example of "Gujarat model of governance", referring to the alleged fake encounters which took place when Narendra Modi was the Gujarat chief minister.
"It was alleged that they wanted to kill (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi....it was the same Gujarat model of governance in which fake encounters took place," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra accused the Congress of compromising national security for political opportunism.
He said Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council was a "supporting ground for Naxalites" during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and some party leaders "romanticised" Naxalism.
Patra also sought to question opposition party leaders, including Digvijaya Singh and Jairam Ramesh, for what the BJP said was indicative of their alleged support to people with "Naxal links".
Showing a letter, allegedly written by one 'comrade' to another, Patra said it talked about the Congress willing to fund their activities and contacting Singh for assistance.
