Arrest me if I am anti-national, Digvijay Singh tells Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Bhopal: After Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called his actions and statements anti-national, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said on Saturday that he would appear before the police and they could arrest him.

"I have taken the oath to follow Constitution. So I have decided to present myself before the law to protect the unity and integrity of India....I would present myself at TT Nagar Police Station (in Bhopal) on July 26," Singh said in a letter to Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

"Meanwhile, submit the evidence of my being anti-national to your administration, so that they can file a case and arrest me," the senior Congress leader said.

Chouhan had slammed the former chief minister for visiting the homes of 'slain terrorists' and talking about "Hindu terrorism" two days ago.

"Talking about Hindu terrorism is an insult to the country and its culture....He is the kind of person who visits the homes of terrorists killed by police and glorifies them. Many times, such acts of Digvijay-ji seem anti-national," a BJP release quoted Chouhan as saying at Satna on July 19.

In apparent reference to Singh's calling Osama bin Laden as "Osama ji", Chouhan asked, according to the BJP release, if adding the honorific 'Ji' for a terrorist was not an anti-national act.

In his letter, Singh said, "Being the chief minister, it is your constitutional duty to take legal action if any such case falling under the category of anti-nationalism comes to your knowledge."

If the chief minister does not have any evidence against him, then he should apologise, Singh demanded.