Congress leader Digvijay Singh said on Wednesday that the party "will not ban Bajgranj Dal" if it comes to power in Madhya Pradesh after winning this year's assembly polls. "...there can be some good people in Bajrang Dal as well, but we will not spare anyone involved in riots or violence," he said in a press conference on Wednesday.

The elections to the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly will be held this year, along with other states — Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.

#WATCH | Bhopal | Congress leader Digvijay Singh says "...We will not ban Bajgranj Dal (if we win polls in Madhya Pradesh) as there can be some good people in Bajrang Dal as well, but we will not spare anyone involved in riots or violence." pic.twitter.com/ggibgQUAW6

— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2023

Digvijay Singh's statement on not banning Bajrang Dal in Madhya Pradesh came as a significant move ahead of the assembly elections, keeping in the view the uproar over one of the Congress' poll promises during the Karnataka elections in May this year. The Congress, in its Karnataka poll manifesto, had promised to ban outfits like Bajrang Dal and the Popular Front of India (PFI).

Similar to Singh's statement, the party had then said it was committed to taking firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred amongst communities on grounds of caste and religion.

CNN-News18 #EXCLUSIVE: "Unlike #Karnataka, there would be no ban on #BajrangDal in MP," says Digvijay Singh@_pallavighosh with details on what it means#HinduRashtra #DigvijaySingh #KamalNath | @ridhimb pic.twitter.com/H1NUI0ZVsk

— News18 (@CNNnews18) August 16, 2023

The Congress's move in Karnataka had stirred a massive controversy after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Congress of "insulting" Lord Hanuman by promising to ban the Bajrang Dal in Karnataka.

However, on June 8, sources told ABP that the Congress government in Karnataka will not impose a ban on right-wing outfit for now. “Action will be taken if any organisation works against peace and harmony in the coming days,” sources were quoted as saying.

First Published:Aug 16, 2023 3:21 PM IST