Sanjay Singh vs JP Nadda: A war of words over toppled governments and Dalit exclusion

A fiery exchange took place in the Rajya Sabha between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh and Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda after Singh accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of destabilizing opposition-led governments across the country.

During a debate on the "Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India," Singh launched a scathing attack on the BJP, claiming, “They don’t allow Dalits into temples. Their mindset is clear—when the foundation stone for the Ayodhya temple was laid, PM Modi, the UP CM, and the Governor attended, but then-President Ram Nath Kovind was excluded. When the temple was inaugurated, President Droupadi Murmu, a member of the Dalit and Adivasi community, was also left out."

Singh continued, alleging, “No RSS chief has ever hailed from the Dalit or Adivasi community. Why is that? Across the country, they topple governments through manipulation and horse-trading. This nation will be governed by Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution, not the whims of Modi or Amit Shah,” PTI quoted him as saying.

In response, Nadda, the BJP national president, firmly rejected the accusations. “Sanjay Singh claims we toppled governments, but we were elected for the fifth time in Madhya Pradesh and for the second consecutive time in Uttar Pradesh. You mentioned Maharashtra—we had a landslide victory there. We are on the path to a hat-trick of successes with the public's blessings, and soon we will come to power in Delhi too,” Nadda retorted.

Nadda’s comments are significant, given the BJP's aim to challenge AAP’s stronghold in Delhi, where the Kejriwal-led party secured 62 out of 70 seats in the 2020 assembly elections. With elections set for February next year, AAP has already declared its candidates for all 70 constituencies, while the Congress has announced 21 candidates. The BJP, however, has yet to release its list of candidates.