Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Taking many by surprise, Rajya Sabha member and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Monday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for laying the foundation stone of a cancer hospital at Bageshwar Dham but suggested that religion should not be linked with politics.

“I congratulate Bageshwar Dham’s Dhirendra Shastri and the PM for laying the foundation stone of a cancer hospital on the land of Bundelkhand. ‘Nar hi Narayan hai’ is the essence of Sanatan Dharma. Religion should not be used for political gains and focusing on institutions dedicated to education and healthcare for the poor would have a far greater impact,” he said replying to a question at a press conference here.

Singh questioned the Global Investors’ Summit, demanding an account of the MoUs signed during the tenure of the previous government in Madhya Pradesh led by former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He urged PM Modi to include these figures in his speeches. Raising concerns over the electronic voting machines (EVMs), Singh said that even Elon Musk and Donald Trump questioned their reliability, yet PM Modi refused to listen to his own allies.

He further accused the Election Commission of being authoritarian and urged the Supreme Court to intervene to protect democracy. While Digvijay Singh remains critical of several government policies, his appreciation for the cancer hospital project marks a rare instance of bipartisan acknowledgment.