Digvijay (top), Laxman: Counsels

Bhopal, March 26: Siblings torn apart by politics still have something left to offer each other — unsolicited advice.

Election season in Madhya Pradesh is witnessing one such spectacle. Laxman Singh, the BJP candidate from Rajgarh, said elder brother Digvijay should contest the Lok Sabha elections and suggested that by refusing to enter the fray, he was “weakening” Sonia Gandhi.

The four-time MP also dubbed Manmohan Singh an “incompetent” Prime Minister and claimed that Digvijay had once declined to become a minister under Manmohan.

Digvijay, a Congress general secretary, reacted by saying that Laxman would be better off advising L.K. Advani and the BJP, and told him not to worry about Sonia and Manmohan.

But Laxman wasn’t done. Days later, he said Priyanka Gandhi, instead of advising cousin and BJP candidate Varun to read the Gita “properly”, should ask her brother Rahul and mother to speak Hindi “properly”.

Laxman is no stranger to controversies. While in the Congress, he had mocked senior leader Arjun Singh, then considered Digvijay’s mentor. On another occasion, Laxman had made offensive remarks about Uma Bharti, prompting Digvijay, then chief minister, to apologise.

Laxman had crossed over within days of Digvijay’s 2003 rout. According to sources close to Digvijay, he has been thinking of dividing the family property at Raghogarh, a small principality under the erstwhile Scindia fief.

The sources said the former chief minister had reason to be bitter because he had groomed Laxman more like a son than a younger brother. Laxman, too, would treat Digvijay, whom he called Dada-Bhai, as God.

Days back, Laxman sought Digvijay’s blessings by touching his feet when the brothers were at Raghogarh. Digvijay initially withdrew his feet before relenting. Locals said Digvijay may have changed his mind because he didn’t want to violate his traditional role as the head of the family. Also, not blessing Laxman wouldn’t have been in keeping with the promise Digvijay had made to his late parents that he would look after his brother.

Another family spat has been unfolding in Gwalior, adjoining Laxman’s Rajgarh constituency. Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Congress MP of nearby Guna, is trying to queer aunt Yashodhara Raje’s pitch as the BJP candidate by claiming he is the sole representative of the “mahal” (Gwalior Fort). Yashodhara Raje insists that as the sitting Gwalior MP, she stands for both the palace and the people.