Digvijay Singh sees red
The debate over Home Minister P Chidambaram’s “saffron terror” remark refuses to die down even within the ruling Congress.
Even as Chidambaram sought to justify his remark in the wake of sharp criticism from the Opposition BJP and notes of disapproval even from within the ruling party, Congress heavyweight Digvijay Singh on Wednesday said he had objection to the use of the phrase.
“I have objection to the use of caste, colour and religion to describe terror,” said Singh, a senior general secretary of the All India Congress Committee. He was talking to journalists shortly after the Home Minister defended the remark he had made a week back while addressing a conference of the state police chiefs from across the country.
Another AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi had earlier tacitly disapproved Chidambaram’s remark, stating that terrorism had no colour and saffron, as a colour, had been part of ancient traditions of India and was associated with the country’s struggle for independence. Dwivedi had made the remark shortly after the BJP and Shiv Sena MPs had protested against the Home Minister’s remark in Parliament.
Asked about the Home Minister’s comment that the “saffron terror” phrase was not his patent, Singh said: “He (Chidambaram) should come out with the name of the patent holder.” The AICC general secretary said saffron is associated with valour and the colour has religious connotations in India. He also noted that the leftists had been using the term saffron terror.
Singh, who oversees the party’s affairs in Uttar Pradesh, said that the BJP should not hide behind the word saffron and should come clean on the activities of some its affiliates allegedly having terror links.
Singh had been at loggerheads with the Home Minister earlier also. He had openly criticised Chidambaram’s policies to deal with the growing menace of ultra-leftist insurgency.
