Digvijaya Singh on Saturday said "non-Muslims" were spying for Pakistan (File)

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has triggered a controversy with his comment that the BJP and Bajrang Dal are taking money from the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI for "spying". The BJP has slammed the leader for the remark, saying he is speaking the "language of Pakistan".

"Some channels are running that I have alleged that the BJP takes money from the ISI for spying for Pakistan. This is totally wrong," he tweeted.

"The Madhya Pradesh police have arrested some officials of the Bajrang Dal and BJP's IT cell. I have levelled this allegation and I stand by it. Why don't these channels ask this question from the BJP?" he added.

Mr Singh on Saturday said "non-Muslims" were spying for Pakistan.

"Bajrang Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party are taking money from ISI. Pay attention to this. Non-Muslims are spying for Pakistan's ISI more than Muslims. Mind this," he had said.

Reacting to the remark, BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Mr Singh has "lost his credibility".

"The Sangh Parivar and BJP do not need a certificate of patriotism from anyone. The country and the world knows it. He intentionally gives controversial statements. He has lost credibility," he was quoted by PTI as saying.

"He speaks the language of Pakistan. What ISI says, Digvijaya says... He calls Osama (terrorist Osama bin Laden) Osama-ji," Mr Chouhan added.

Mobile phones seized last month from three men arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police in connection with a terror-funding case, were found to contain at least 17 Pakistani phone numbers, to which the men had regularly made WhatsApp calls and sent video messages. Among the more recent such messages were those sent on August 14 - Pakistan Independence Day.

The three men - identified as Balram Singh, Sunil Singh and Shumbham Tiwari - were part of a group of five suspects detained by Satna district police on Wednesday night.

Balram Singh is a former member of Bajrang Dal.

With inputs from PTI