Political row erupts over alleged morphed video of Digvijaya Singh, Scindia calls him ‘anti-national’

Bhopal, April 18 (IANS) Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday launched a scathing attack on senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, calling him “anti-national” over a controversial video that has surfaced online. 

The video, shared by BJP leaders including Scindia, allegedly shows Digvijaya Singh claiming he tried to incite communal violence in Bhopal following the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. The BJP has dubbed it a “communal confession”.

Scindia, who was once a colleague of Digvijaya Singh in the Congress but is now one of his fiercest political rivals, posted the video on the social media platform X on Friday with a Hindi proverb meaning, “A wooden pot can’t be reused,” suggesting Singh’s real face had been exposed.

He added: “No matter how many masks anti-national Congress leaders wear, the truth always comes out.”

The remarks triggered strong criticism from Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh. Senior Congress leader and former state minister P.C. Sharma hit back, accusing Scindia of sharing a morphed video.

Sharma posted an old video of Scindia’s late father, former Union Minister Madhavrao Scindia, and urged the BJP leader to learn from his father's values.

“Don’t get blinded by power and position. If you had paid attention to your respected father's views on the BJP, you wouldn’t have shared this fake video. The BJP practices politics of hate and incites riots -- this can never be good for the country,” Sharma wrote on X.

The controversy began on Thursday after BJP leader and state Youth and Welfare Minister Vishwas Sarang shared the video online, claiming it was proof of Digvijaya Singh's involvement in the 1992 Bhopal riots.

In the video, Singh is purportedly heard saying: “When Babri Masjid was demolished, I was the state Congress president. I stayed at the party office for a week and made all possible efforts for communal violence.”

However, Singh has categorically denied the authenticity of the video, calling it doctored. He alleged that the crucial word "no" had been edited out from the sentence, reversing its meaning.

“Everyone knows how the BJP spreads fake news. In my full sentence, they deliberately removed the word ‘na’ (no),” Digvijaya Singh said in a statement on Thursday.