Published Jun 10, 2026 | 6:35 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 10, 2026 | 6:35 PM
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge. (X/priyankkharge)
Synopsis: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday, 10 June, again asked the RSS to explain the legal basis for operating without registration and questioned why BJP leaders were responding on the organisation’s behalf. He said he was seeking clarity on the RSS’s legal status and financial accountability, and invited its leaders to meet him and explain why it should not be registered. KPCC President BK Hariprasad backed Kharge’s remarks, saying any organisation that describes itself as patriotic should be registered.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday, 10 June, stood by his demand that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) explain the legal basis on which it operates without registration, while questioning why leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were responding on the organisation’s behalf.
Addressing reporters, Kharge rejected allegations that his remarks against the RSS were provocative.
“Show me one statement of mine that is provocative in nature. Show me one statement,” he said. “In fact, they are the ones who are intimidating and threatening. Where have I threatened anyone? 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?”
Kharge again offered to engage directly with the RSS and understand its legal position. He invited RSS leaders either to call him to their offices or visit his office to explain why the organisation should not be registered.
“You invite me to Jagannath Bhavan or Keshav Krupa. I will come there. You tell me, legally, these are the parameters under which we should not be registered,” he said.
“I am not asking RSS workers to get recognised or register themselves individually. I am asking the RSS to get registered. There is a very clear distinction. I really don’t care who their members are. First, let the organisation get registered.”
Earlier, in February, Kharge alleged that the RSS was involved in money laundering and questioned how it funded its extensive domestic and international operations through a network of more than 2,500 affiliated organisations. He demanded greater transparency regarding donations and financial accountability, arguing that all institutions receiving public contributions were subject to scrutiny.
Last year, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat claimed that 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 that courts had recognised its status as a body of individuals.
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Kharge questioned why the RSS appeared to be exempt when every institution in the country was required to maintain records and comply with regulations.
“In this country every street vendor is registered. Every temple has to give accounts. Every donation is accounted for. Why is RSS not accounted for? Why are they not registered?” he asked.
“They are the world’s largest NGO, right? They are the ones who are saving humanity across geographies. So all I’m asking is, if you want to conduct marches and regularly use government institutions and spaces, then who are you? What are you? Tell us, so that we can give permission.”
Kharge maintained that he had never sought to deny permission for the organisation’s activities, but only wanted clarity on its legal status.
He also dismissed as untrue claims by some BJP leaders that even former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi could not “touch” the RSS.
“The BJP doesn’t know its own history. When Nehru ji and Sardar Patel ji banned them, they went and pleaded. And when Indira Gandhi also banned them, please look at the letters the Sarsanghchalak had written to Mrs Gandhi saying that the Emergency was much required and that it was a great thing that had happened to the country,” he said.
“I am asking why they are not registered. Why can’t they register? Whatever law applies to me, to you, and to any other institution in the country should apply to them as well,” he said.
“If you are not able to convince me, tell me, ‘No, Priyank, your thought process is wrong. Your interpretation of the law is wrong. I can take dakshina how I want. I can conduct marches how I want. The Constitution is not applicable to me. The law is not applicable to me.’ Let them explain it to me, and I’m ready to listen.”
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Newly appointed Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President BK Hariprasad firmly backed Kharge, saying that any organisation that described itself as patriotic should be registered.
“Priyank Kharge is a Home Minister in the government. He is acting within the Constitution of the country. He has every right. What he has said is that any patriotic organisation, if it calls itself a patriotic organisation, should be registered,” Hariprasad said.
“They say it is a cultural organisation and a patriotic organisation. They have to register. If not, it is for the Home Minister to decide what action he has to take,” he added.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
