#AmmneSamne with #News24 Editor-in-Chief #AnurradhaPrasad 30 March 2014

Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh has once again hinted that he is ready to contest Lok Sabha elections against BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from Varanasi. In an exclusive interview with News24 Editor-in-Chief Anurradha Prasad, Digvijaya Singh said, "I am mentally prepared to fight against Modi.

I am ready to follow every decision of the Congress party high command." Digvijaya Singh also termed Modi a coward when asked to compare him with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. "Media calls Modi brave, a man with 56-inch chest. But why does he not hold press conferences? Why is he scared of questions?" Singh said. He further added that he is like the only 'intelligent' man in village who gets his work done by threatening others

Digvijaya Singh took a jibe on 'Modi wave', claiming BJP performed much better under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "If there is Modi wave, why BJP is borrowing candidates from the Congress party? Why they are not giving poll tickets to their party workers. Vajpayee wave was much bigger when BJP got 180-182 seats," he said. In an apparent dig at senior BJP leaders, Digvijaya Singh asked why Sushma Swaraj and L K Advani are being sidelined at every important party event. "Everywhere it's Modi, Modi...Why Sushma and Advani's names are not in prominence," he said. Singh considered Sushma Swaraj as a very moderate face of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

He said that since she doesn't have an RSS background, she could be the most credible person to become the Prime Minister of the country if BJP comes to power. On the Congress party supporting the Arvind Kejriwal government, he said that it was a mistake to provide a red carpet to the AAP leader and make him the chief minister of Delhi.

It was a mistake to extend support to a person who has not been able to run the government for even a month. There are similarities between BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. That is precisely why the latter is challenging Modi in Varanasi. Digvijaya Singh also said that opinion polls should not be taken seriously and it is not correct to write-off any government.