Published Oct 05, 2026 | 12:18 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 05, 2026 | 12:30 PM
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge.
Synopsis: Congress leader and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge continued his offensive against the RSS, calling it an ‘unregistered money-laundering unit—a 100-year organisation acting as the sole protector of a 3,000-year-old religion.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday, 5 October, launched a sharp attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling it an “unregistered money-laundering unit” and alleging that it carries out “illegal activities” in the name of religion.
Responding to reporters’ questions about senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh planned 1,000 km padayatra (foot march), Kharge defended Singh’s religious credentials and distinguished Hinduism and Hindutva.
“Digvijaya Singh saab is a staunch Sanatani. RSS does not know the head or tail of this thing. They act as if they are the sole protectors of a religion that is 3,000 years old. They have just turned 100,” Kharge said.
The RSS was founded on 27 September 1925.
“There is a big difference between Hinduism and Hindutva. RSS started Hindutva. Hinduism was there for 3,000 years. So we don’t have anything to learn; no Hindu has anything to learn from RSS,” he added.
Kharge further alleged, “RSS is nothing but an unregistered money-laundering unit that, in the name of religion, is doing all illegal activities.”
Also Read: How the RSS operates in a legal, financial and organisational grey zone
The minister had written to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on 13 June, seeking clarification on how the organisation continues to function without registration despite, by its own admission, having an extensive organisational presence across the country.
The letter marked Kharge’s first major legal move against the RSS since he began publicly challenging the BJP’s ideological parent organisation last year.
On 10 June, he questioned why BJP leaders were responding on behalf of the RSS.
“And why is the BJP speaking? Has the RSS died? Do they not have a tongue? If I speak about the RSS, why do they answer? Have BJP leaders taken a contract for them?” he said.
Kharge also invited RSS leaders either to summon him to their offices or visit his office to explain why the organisation should not be formally registered.
Earlier this year, Kharge alleged that the RSS was involved in money laundering and questioned how it financed its domestic and international operations through a network of more than 2,500 affiliated organisations.
Last year, Bhagwat said the organisation functions as a recognised “body of individuals” and that its donations, or “guru dakshina”, had been exempted from income tax following litigation. He also said courts had recognised its status as a body of individuals.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
