Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Monday lashed out at Delhi's Jama Masjid's Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari, who has extended support to Samjawadi Party, saying that he was "a man with communal leanings".

Digvijay, who is also party in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, told reporters that "Bukhari is the same person who had praised Osama Bin Laden and expressed anger over the latter's killing. He is a communal type of man".

Continuing his tirade against the cleric, Digvijay said, "after the 2002 Gujarat riots, Bukhari had issued a diktat in 2004 asking voters to vote for BJP. Earlier, Kalyan Singh, who is responsible for the demolition of Babri masjid, rode the bicycle of Samajwadi Party, and now Bukhari is riding it".

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister also claimed that when Bukhari was opposing Samajwadi Party, he was party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav who had advised him to do "imamat and not siyasat" (do religious work and not politics).

The senior Congress leader also said there was a dissent in SP over Bukhari.

Replying to a query, Digvijay clarified that neither Bukhari has given any statement in favour of Congress nor the party would prefer to take his support.