Rewa, Sep 19 (NationPress) Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Siddharth Tiwari unleashed a fierce critique of veteran Congress figure and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, referring to him as a 'Maulana' during a public gathering in Rewa's Teonthar on Friday.

During this pointed critique, Tiwari remarked that during a recent visit to Rewa, Singh discussed the ideology of the Congress.

"I am well-acquainted with the Congress and Digvijaya Singh, which is why I refer to him as Maulana Digvijaya Singh," he stated.

Tiwari made these comments in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and numerous senior BJP leaders from the districts of Rewa and Satna during a public event in the Teonthar Assembly constituency, which borders the Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh.

Interestingly, Siddharth Tiwari is the grandson of the late Srinivas Tiwari, a former Congress leader who served as the Assembly Speaker during the Digvijaya Singh-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh from 1993 to 2003.

"Digvijaya Singh has consistently sought to undermine my grandfather, Srinivas Tiwari. I recall my grandfather mentioning that when the Congress won the 1993 election, he was expected to be appointed as a Cabinet Minister, but instead, he was appointed as the Assembly Speaker," the BJP MLA remarked.

He further asserted that it was Digvijaya Singh who opposed Srinivas Tiwari's inclusion in the Cabinet.

"This was an attempt to diminish and ultimately end his (Srinivas Tiwari's) political career. However, after becoming the Assembly Speaker, my grandfather managed to keep Digvijaya Singh under his control for a decade," Tiwari noted.

This criticism of Digvijaya Singh comes merely two days after he took part in the centenary celebration of the late Srinivas Tiwari in Rewa, which also saw attendance from various Congress leaders, including state party chief Jitu Patwari and Ajay Singh, the son of former Chief Minister Arjun Singh.

Siddharth Tiwari, whose father, the late Sundarlal Tiwari, also served as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, joined the BJP before the 2023 Assembly elections after being denied a ticket from the Congress.

He held Digvijaya Singh and Ajay Singh accountable for denying him the Congress ticket.

Notably, Siddharth Tiwari had previously contested the Lok Sabha elections from Rewa on a Congress ticket but was defeated by the BJP candidate Janardan Mishra in 2019.

In 2023, he transitioned to the BJP and was elected as an MLA from the Teonthar Assembly seat in Rewa.

Back in 2022, when the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi passed through Madhya Pradesh, featuring Digvijaya Singh's photo on a sleeping mat that gained media attention, Siddharth Tiwari, who was then still with the Congress, had commended Digvijaya Singh as a "Karmayogi".

"Karmayogi do not merely speak; they act! Let us continue this journey towards new horizons. This picture embodies the spirit of sacrifice, penance, and commitment to our nation, and it motivates us all to dedicate ourselves to serving our country and society," Siddharth Tiwari had written on X about Digvijaya Singh in 2022.