Revanth Reddy praises Sonia Gandhi's leadership amid Digvijaya Singh's 'RSS like organisation' remark

Amid a political row triggered by Digvijaya Singh’s remarks on the organisational strength of the RSS and the BJP, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Revanth Reddy on Saturday highlighted Sonia Gandhi’s role in shaping Congress leadership.

He cited the elevation of P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh as Prime Ministers, as the Indian National Congress marked the 140th foundation day.

In a post on X, Reddy said the Congress “has shaped every defining chapter of modern India” and reflected on Sonia Gandhi’s leadership.


“Congress: a force for the people of India was born 140 years ago on this day. The story of the Indian National Congress is the story of Indian democracy in motion. When one reflects on the leadership of Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji, we find service, commitment, ethics and values,” he wrote.


Reddy said Sonia Gandhi’s leadership enabled leaders from diverse backgrounds to rise to the highest office. “Under Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji’s leadership, it became possible for Shri P V Narasimha Rao garu, who started his public career from a remote village in Telangana, to rise to become Prime Minister of the country. Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji also made an economist like Dr Manmohan Singh Ji the Prime Minister,” he said, adding that the Congress had played a central role “from leading India’s freedom struggle to framing the Constitution, from building democratic institutions to uniting a diverse nation.”

The statement came days after Digvijaya Singh sparked controversy by sharing a black-and-white photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting on the floor near senior BJP leader L K Advani in Gujarat. Singh commented on how grassroots workers could rise through the ranks to become chief minister and Prime Minister, attributing it to the “power of organisation.” He tagged several senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, Prime Minister Modi and official Congress handles.

According to a Times of India report, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister also raised concerns about “over-centralisation” within the Congress during the Congress Working Committee meeting on Saturday. He questioned why district and state chiefs were appointed by the AICC and flagged the lack of implementation of decisions taken at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir, including the creation of an election management department.

Last week, Singh had praised Rahul Gandhi’s stand on socio-economic issues while pressing for internal reforms. In another post on X, he wrote, “Rahul ji, you are absolutely ‘bang on’ in matters of socio-economic issues. Full marks. But now please look at Congress also. Like the Election Commission needs reforms, so does the Indian National Congress. You have started with ‘Sangathan Srijan’, but we need more pragmatic, decentralised functioning.”

He added, “I am sure you would do it because I know you can do it. The only problem is that it is not easy to ‘convince’ you!!”