Am Not Like Narendra Modi Who Hid His Wife, says Congress' Digvijaya Singh

New Delhi: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh today said his acknowledgement of his relationship with a TV reporter proves that, "I have the courage of my conviction & to face the consequences. He (Modi) is a coward, who had hidden his wife for years." Photos of Mr Singh and Amrita Rai, 43,  were leaked online earlier this week. He tweeted on the issue yesterday.

In this election campaign, Mr Singh was among senior Congress leaders who attacked Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, who, last month, for the first time publicly acknowledged that he is married. (In poll affidavit, Modi says Jashodaben is his wife)

In election papers that he filed to run from Vadodara, Mr Modi entered his wife's name in a column asking about his marital status. He had left the column blank on previous occasions, including in the last Gujarat state election in 2012.

The Congress, which is expected to be dealt a crushing defeat by the BJP after 10 years in power, seized the issue, alleging that Mr Modi's refusal to acknowledge his wife for decades reflects a poor attitude towards women.

On Twitter yesterday, Mr Singh, 67, said, "I have no hesitation in accepting my relationship with Amrita Rai. She and her husband have already filed a mutual consent divorce case." The politician however, also tweeted, "I do condemn encroachment in our private life."