Published Jun 18, 2026 | 5:14 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 18, 2026 | 5:14 PM
BJP MP Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi
Synopsis: BJP MP Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi questioned why Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, ‘a Dalit’, was taking on the RSS and said his stance against the organisation could damage his political future. The controversial remarks come amid Kharge’s campaign to force the RSS to explain the legal basis on which it operates without formal registration.
BJP MP Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi questioned why Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, ‘a Dalit’, was taking on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and suggested that his political future would be jeopardised because of his stance against the organisation.
Jigajinagi, who represents the Bijapur Lok Sabha constituency and served as Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation in 2016, made the controversial remarks amid Kharge’s ongoing demand that the RSS explain the legal basis on which it operates without formal registration.
“Why should a Dalit person be concerned with the RSS? That is my question,” Jigajinagi said.
“They have now made him the Home Minister. Since his father worked for the Congress party, they have given him that privilege. If you want to earn a good reputation, work for the people. Now that he is behind the RSS, he will not survive politically.”
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The remarks come days after Kharge wrote 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, RSS chief Mohan 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 Dese Gowda)
