Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday, 6 November launched a pointed attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its interpretation of Hindutva, asserting that the ideology promotes hatred rather than Hinduism and bears no connection with Sanatan Dharma. The remarks, made during a media interaction in Guna district, Madhya Pradesh, have reignited a charged political debate over the meaning and ownership of Hindu identity in Indian politics.

What Digvijaya Singh Said

Singh, who is undertaking his 'Satya Sanatan Swabhiman Yatra' — a journey from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh — drew a sharp ideological line between Hindutva and Sanatan Dharma. 'They (BJP) started talking about Sanatan Dharma only after I raised this topic of Sanatan Dharma. Their religion is Hindutva, not Sanatan. Hindutva spreads hatred, not Hindu. Savarkar himself said that Hindutva has no connection with religion,' Singh said.

He further argued that Sanatan Dharma, in its true form, stands for respecting all religions and working for the welfare of the entire world — a characterisation he contrasted with what he described as the exclusionary ideology of organisations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).

Udit Raj Invokes Savarkar's Own Definition

Congress leader Udit Raj also weighed in, invoking the foundational definition of Hindutva by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar to question the ideology's social implications. 'Hindutva was first defined by Savarkar, and it spoke about 'Punyabhoomi' (sacred land) and 'Janmabhoomi' (birthplace). This creates a distinction between human beings. For instance, it is assumed that Muslims and Christians have a birthplace but not a sacred land in India,' Raj said.

Raj also cited the sacrifices made by different communities during India's freedom struggle, claiming that around 61,000 Muslims and nearly 8,000 Sikhs had laid down their lives, while alleging that Hindus had made almost no comparable contribution — a claim that is likely to draw strong counterclaims from BJP and RSS leaders. 'This is not Hindutva; this is about dividing people. Who is a Hindu here? I do not think there is even a single person here who is a Hindu,' Raj said.

The Broader Political Context

The Congress has increasingly sought to position itself as a defender of a 'genuine' Hindu or Sanatan Dharma tradition, distinct from what it characterises as the political Hindutva of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. This comes amid a sustained BJP effort to consolidate its Hindu voter base ahead of several state elections. Notably, Digvijaya Singh's yatra — framed explicitly around Sanatan identity — represents a tactical attempt by the Congress to contest the BJP on what has traditionally been the saffron party's home turf.

The RSS and the VHP have not yet issued a formal response to Singh's latest remarks, though BJP leaders have in the past rejected Congress critiques of Hindutva as politically motivated and ignorant of the ideology's philosophical foundations.

What Happens Next

Digvijaya Singh's yatra is expected to continue toward Ayodhya, with each leg likely generating further political statements. The Congress-BJP contestation over Hindu identity is set to intensify as the party prepares its messaging for upcoming electoral cycles. The debate also arrives at a moment when several Opposition leaders have been recalibrating their approach to religious identity politics, signalling that this ideological fault line will remain central to national discourse.