Waqf Act: Posters labelling Digvijaya Singh as 'gaddar' surface in MP cities

Bhopal: Posters labelling Congress MP Digvijaya Singh as "gaddar" (traitor) following his opposition to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha triggered a war of words between him and the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday.

After such posters surfaced in Guna, Singh responded by asking "Gaddar Kaun?" (Who is the traitor?) and shared names he claimed were BJP activists who had worked as ISI agents.

In 2017, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested 11 people for allegedly being part of an espionage ring from various places in Madhya Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the state's cabinet minister Vishvas Sarang accused Congress veterans of making sensational statements to grab headlines.

The controversy began when posters branding Digvijaya Singh as "gaddar" were put up in Guna and other cities, reportedly by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). These posters criticised Singh for opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

In response, Digvijaya Singh posted "names of BJP workers working as ISI agents" on the X handle.

"Getting funds from Pakistan in different accounts, Talking to Pakistanis through Voice Over. @BJP4India, @BJPYUVAMORCHA, @RSSorg, What will you call them? Gaddar? Jai Siya Ram," he stated.

Sarang hit back at Singh, stating that the Congress leader had coined the term "bhagwa atankwad" (saffron terror), which defamed Sanatana Dharma.

"He called (terrorist) Afzal as Afzal Guru, used the suffix ji for Hafiz Saeed to glorify him, shared the dais with deference to disruptive individuals like Zakir Naik, questioned the Batla House encounter, the air strike and surgical strike to disrespect our Army and soldiers. He always gives statements to break the country. He always made accusations without facts," Sarang alleged.

He claimed that the posters targeting Digvijaya Singh were put up by the public, not the BJP.