Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has accused the RSS-run schools Saraswati Shishu Mandir of sowing the seeds of hatred towards other religions in the minds of children, which he said later leads to religious hysteria and riots in the country.

The BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh reacted sharply to Singh's statements, saying that he should rather talk about madrasas that "nurture terrorism and spread enmity".

Addressing a protest at Bhopal's Neelam Park on Saturday, Singh said, "Saraswati Shishu Mandir sows the seeds of hatred towards other religions in the mind and hearts from childhood. This grows gradually and disturbs the communal harmony, creates communal bitterness, spreads religious hysteria and leads to riots in the country." A video of Singh making the statement surfaced on Sunday.

Hitting out at him over the remarks, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said in a tweet on Sunday night, "Saraswati Shishu Mandir is a school of patriotism. Only a person suffering from hallucinations can point a finger towards this institution."

"The country wants to know in which school of Congress it is taught to address terrorist Osama Bin Laden with 'Ji', call terrorist Zakir Naik a peacekeeper, humiliate the martyrdom of inspector Mohan Sharma by terming Batala House encounter as fake and ask for proof of surgical strike," he added.

Another BJP leader and party legislator Rameshwar Sharma said that in Shishu Mandir, there is love for the nation, religion, there is brotherhood, affection and ability to take everyone along.

"Singh should speak about madrassas where terrorism is nurtured, humanity is crushed, the honour of daughters is robbed. He should think about the education and training of madrasas where separatism and terrorism and enmity spread," he said.

When asked, a Congress spokesperson refused to speak saying that he was not aware of the party's stand on this issue.