Scindia invokes 2020 exit to hit back at Digvijaya over Daly College
Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday invoked his 2020 exit from the Congress to hit back at former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh over an RSS programme at Indore’s Daly College, reviving a rivalry that helped bring down the Kamal Nath government and reshaped the state’s politics.
The exchange comes against the backdrop of Singh’s ‘Satya Sanatan Swabhiman Yatra’, through which he hopes to challenge the BJP’s interpretation of Hindu religious identity and raise questions about the management of religious institutions.
“Do I really need an invitation from Digvijaya Singh? He should also not forget that Daly College is an institution belonging to the Scindia family; it was established by the Scindia family. Digvijaya Singh tends to forget things from time to time, so it becomes my job to remind him, just as I did back in 2020,” Scindia said, responding to Singh’s objections to an RSS programme there.
Speaking to reporters in Bhopal, Singh said those associated with the institution had assured him that its premises would not be given to a political party. He said he would write to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat asking him to reconsider the venue and questioned why the programme could not be held at Scindia School instead.
“They had given their word that they would not give it to any political party, but they gave it to the RSS. I am writing a letter to Mohan Bhagwat on this issue, asking him not to hold this programme here. I have also urged Scindia – why don’t you hold this programme at Scindia School? Why do it here?” Singh said.
The immediate dispute concerns the use of a prominent educational institution for an RSS event. Scindia’s reference to 2020 was a reminder of the moment he left the Congress with 22 MLAs, bringing down the 15-month Kamal Nath government and paving the way for the BJP’s return to power under Shivraj Singh Chouhan. For Singh, who remained with the Congress through the upheaval, the episode marked a major setback to a party whose return to office in 2018 had ended 15 years of BJP rule.
Scindia’s 2020 rebellion
The rupture had its roots in the competing power centres within the Congress government. The party won 114 seats in the 230-member Assembly in 2018, but the question of leadership had left Scindia, a prominent contender for the chief minister’s post, outside the government’s top position. Kamal Nath took charge of the administration, while Singh retained considerable influence within the party. Scindia, meanwhile, remained a powerful figure in the Gwalior-Chambal region, where his family’s political legacy had long shaped electoral loyalties.
The fallout extended beyond the fall of the government. It altered the political equation in Gwalior-Chambal, where Scindia’s influence became a key test of the BJP’s ability to consolidate its gains after the defections. The 2023 Assembly election offered a measure of that shift. The Congress, which had won 26 of the region’s 34 seats in 2018, was reduced to 16 in 2023, while the BJP won 18, up from seven. The BJP’s gains strengthened Scindia’s position in his home region, though several of the former Congress MLAs who had joined him in 2020 lost their seats.
The two leaders have continued to revisit the events of 2020. In August 2025, Singh and Nath publicly blamed each other for failing to prevent Scindia’s departure. Singh argued that the government had not acted on a joint list of demands concerning Gwalior-Chambal, while Nath attributed the rebellion to Scindia’s ambition and resentment over Singh’s influence. Scindia, for his part, has largely sought to move beyond the episode and establish his standing within the BJP through governance and development.
His efforts have included pushing for projects in Gwalior, Shivpuri and Guna, spanning drainage and sanitation, transport infrastructure, airports and industrial investment. Alongside his ministerial responsibilities, Scindia has maintained a visible presence in the region, seeking to translate his political influence into a longer-term development agenda. This approach contrasts with Singh’s reliance on political mobilisation, party networks and campaigns aimed at challenging the BJP’s ideological claims.
Digyajaya’s yatra plans
Singh’s current Satya Sanatan Swabhiman Yatra, from Mahakal Dham in Ujjain to Shri Ram Dham in Ayodhya, is an attempt to contest the BJP’s claim to represent Hindu religious identity. Singh has argued that Sanatan Dharma should not be conflated with Hindutva and has also raised questions about alleged irregularities in the management of religious institutions.
The yatra provides Singh with a platform to challenge the BJP on religious and political questions at a time when the Congress is seeking to rebuild its organisation and regain ground in Madhya Pradesh.
The yatra will begin in Ujjain on October 20, with a flower shower from a helicopter planned to mark its launch. The arrangement, coordinated by Computer Baba and other members of the saint community, had run into trouble after the district administration initially withheld permission, prompting a group of sadhus and saints to stage a sit-in at the Ujjain collectorate. The protest was called off after the administration granted permission for the aerial flower shower. Under the order, the helicopter will fly from Indore carrying flowers and shower them at the starting point in Ujjain, but will not be permitted to land in the city.
The yatra will begin in Ujjain, the city of Mahakaleshwar, and proceed to Ayodhya, culminating at the Ram temple. A number of religious leaders have extended their support, including Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, Dwarka-Sharda Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Sadanand Saraswati and Agni Peethadhishwar Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Brahmarishi Shrimad Ramkrishnanand Ji Maharaj. Computer Baba is leading the preparations by the saint community, with more sadhus expected to join the launch.
The organisers have said the yatra will seek accountability and transparency in the management of temples and religious institutions, particularly in the handling of donations and allegations of misappropriation of temple funds.
