Bitter political rivals Scindia, Digvijaya turn friends at school event; give lessons in grace

Political rivals Digvijaya Singh of the Congress and Union Minister and senior BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday dsplayed remarkable bonhomie at a school event here, leaving those at the gathering pleasantly surprised.

Singh, a former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, and Scindia have been bitter rivals ever since the latter quit the Congress and joined the ruling BJP in March 2020 and then went on to become a minister in the Narendra Modi government. His act also brought down the Congress government under Kamal Nath at the time.

Scindia, who had come to inaugurate the Shrewsbury International School set up by Jagran Social Welfare Society (JSWS), walked down from the stage when he saw Singh and his wife Amrita seated in the front row among the guests and held the Rajya Sabha MP's hands by way of greetings.


The Union minister then got Singh on the stage, where the latter remained till the end of the function. Scindia, while addressing the gathering, referred to the Rajya Sabha MP as "raja saheb".

Videos of the two leaders went viral on social media, with many netizens complimenting Scindia for displaying grace even amid the acrimony of everyday politics.

Scindia also got former Union minister and Congressman-turned-BJP leader Suresh Pachori from the front row to the dais. Pachori had joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Scindia, a former president of Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, played the game at the new campus and also drove a golf cart to take a tour the new facility, eyewitnesses said.

Shrewsbury International School India is a co-educational boarding facility located on a 150-acre campus here.