Bhagwat said that while saffron is treated as a Guru in RSS, it has high respect for the Indian tri-colour.
Published Nov 10, 2025 | 12:10 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 10, 2025 | 12:10 PM
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. (RSS)
Synopsis: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that they are a “body of individuals” and that they are a “recognised organisation”. The remark came amidst the Karnataka government’s attempt to regulate RSS activities in the state.
Responding to concerns over the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) not being a registered body, its chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday, 9 November, that they are a “body of individuals” and that they are a “recognised organisation”.
“Legal status is also given to an unregistered body of individuals. So we are categorised as a body of individuals,” he said, while speaking at the ‘100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons’ event in Bengaluru.
Karnataka Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge had earlier criticised the Sangh for its lack of registration. However, Bhagwat said that the existing Indian laws do not make registration mandatory.
“Do you know the Sangh was started in 1925? Do you expect us to be registered with the British government? The Indian government has banned us thrice. So the government has recognised. If we were not there, who did they ban?” he asked.
In an attempt to prove his point, he remarked, “Even Hindu Dharma is not registered.”
On the issue of RSS respecting only saffron flags and not recognising the Indian tri-colour, Bhagwat said that while saffron is treated as a Guru in RSS, it has high respect for the Indian tri-colour.
“We always respect, offer tribute and protect our tricolour,” the Bhagwat said.
While his remarks came as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge recently said the RSS should be banned, Bhagawat claimed that the organisation does not support any political party.
“We do not participate in election politics. Sangh works to unite society, and politics is divisive. We support policies. For example, we wanted Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, so our swayamsevaks voted for those who stood by its construction,” he said, adding that the BJP ticked the box. “If Congress had supported it, our swayamsevaks would have voted for that party,” Bhagwat said.
“We don’t have a special affinity for one party. There is no Sangh party; no party is ours. And all parties are ours because they are Bharatiya parties. We support rashtraneeti (policies), not rajniti (politics). We have our views, and we want this country to go in a particular direction. Those who drive the country in that direction, we will support them,” he said.
When asked if Muslims are allowed to become part of RSS, Bhagwat said, “No Brahmin is allowed in Sangh, no one from any caste is allowed, no Muslim is allowed, no Christian is allowed… People from different denominations, Muslims or Christians, can come to Sangh, keeping their separateness out. When you come to Shakha, you come as a son of Bharat Mata. Muslims and Christians come to shakha, but we don’t take their count, we don’t ask who they are.”
Priyank Kharge has been fighting against the activities of the RSS by reminding the chief minister that service rules bar government staff from participating in events by such organisations.
Kharge had recently called for a statewide ban on RSS activities in government institutions and public premises, which led to a cyber attack against him, including death threats.
He had urged the state government to impose a comprehensive ban on RSS “shakhas”, “sanghiks” (gatherings), and “baithaks” (meetings) across government premises, including schools, aided institutions, public parks, playgrounds, Muzrai Department temples, and archaeological sites, accusing it of “brainwashing young minds” by instilling “negative thoughts” and shouting divisive slogans.
He claimed the organisation’s ideology is “contrary to India’s ideals of unity and secular framework.”
Later, the Commissioner of the Panchayat Raj Department, Arundhati Chandrashekar, suspended Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) Praveen Kumar after a picture surfaced, showing the official in an RSS uniform, and holding a danda (stick) alongside an RSS cadre. The BJP termed the government’s move against the official “anti-Hindu”.
Apparently aiming at the RSS, the state government had also issued a Government order deeming gatherings of more than 10 people in public places, including roads, parks, and playgrounds, as an unlawful assembly. The matter is now sub judice.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Anisha Reddy.)
