Ahead of Madhya Pradesh polls, Digvijaya Singh says Congress will construct Ram Path if voted to power in state

Bhopal: The Congress will construct “Ram Path” (a mythical route taken by Lord Ram during his 14-year exile) stretching up to the borders of Madhya Pradesh if voted to power, senior party leader Digvijaya Singh said Tuesday. He said the Congress would also construct the “Narmada Parikrama Path”. Assembly elections are due in Madhya Pradesh later in 2018. The Congress has been out of power in the central state since 2003. “The ruling BJP had announced to develop the ‘Ram Path’ but never kept its promise. But, we are thinking to construct the ‘Ram Path’ up to the borders of the state. The ‘Narmada Parikrama Path’ would also be constructed,” Singh told a press conference in Bhopal. Narmada Parikrama is a walk along the banks of the river Narmada which covers a distance of 3,300 kilometres. Responding to a query whether the Congress is adopting “soft Hindutva”, the former chief minister said there was nothing like soft or hard Hindutva. “Hindutva has nothing to do with the religion,” he said. When asked if the Congress was emulating the BJP by promising development of the ‘Ram Path’ and setting up cow shelters in the state, Singh replied in negative. [caption id=“attachment_2262064” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. PTI[/caption] The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government had announced on on 1 October, 2007 that it would track the ‘Ram Gaman Path’ or the route that Lord Ram had taken in the 11 out of 14 years of his exile he had spent in the forests of state through the districts of Satna, Panna, Shahdol, Jabalpur and Vidisha. Singh said the so-called worshippers of the cow are only interested in collecting funds. “During the ersthile rule of the Congress, ‘gaushalas’ were constructed in Madhya Pradesh. Nobody should have objections if the Congress talks about setting up ‘gaushalas’ in every Panchayat (to avoid the problems of stray cattle),” he said. Singh said he never harboured animosity against the BJP or even the RSS. “There may be political rivalry, but no acrimony,” he said. The Congress leader dared Chouhan to prove a single instance of corruption during his 10-year rule as the chief minister from 1993-2003. “The BJP has failed to prove even a single corruption charge in the last 15 years. Why to talk about proving, they even could not level a charge against me. But, I am saying that the family of Shivraj Singh Chouhan is involved in Vyapam scam and illegal sand mining,” he alleged. Singh accused the BJP of raising issues that may create social tension. Replying to a query, Singh said, “Neither Hindus nor Sanatan dharma is in danger. Mughals had ruled this country for 500 years and Christians for 150 years, but Sanatan dharma continued to exist. Some people are misleading common people to serve their political interests”. Singh said he would soon serve a legal notice to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. “Shivraj had termed me anti-national, but no case has been registered against me so far. Now, they (BJP) are saying that I have relations with Naxals. This allegation against me shows their mental status,” he said.