Chidambaram no longer intellectually arrogant: Digvijay Singh

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, who stoked a controversy last year by calling P Chidambaram as "intellectually arrogant", now feels the home minister has "changed quite a lot now".

"...Now as far as my personal remark on Chidambaram, I have already conveyed my regret to him. I think he has changed quite a lot now," Singh told NDTV in an interview. He was asked whether his earlier remark that Chidambaram was extremely rigid once he makes up his mind and "I have been a victim of his intellectual arrogance many times" was the view of the Congress.

"They are two different things. One is the issue of handling Naxalites if you see the Congress manifesto it says what I have said," he said before explaining on his "personal remark" on Chidambaram.

Asked whether he has revised his views on the handling of the Naxal issue which last year he had said was mishandled by Chidambaram, Singh said "there is no contradiction on that my view (as it) was Congress party's view."

Last year, Singh had dubbed Chidambaram as "intellectually arrogant" and had openly differed with his anti-Naxal strategy, prompting disapproval from the AICC for airing his views in public.

In an article last year in a newspaper, Singh, during whose tenure as chief minister Maoist-affected Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh, suggested treating the Naxalite issue as a law and order problem was wrong and called for a rethink of counter-Maoist strategy.

Singh's remarks at that time had came close on the heels of the Dantewada massacre of 76 security personnel by Maoists.