New Delhi: Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge Tuesday evening launched one of his strongest attacks yet on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), questioning both its historical record and legal status while warning that Karnataka could introduce legislation requiring the organisation to register under the law.
Addressing a gathering in Delhi at an event titled ‘Why Registration of the RSS is Necessary’, organised by Samajwadi Sangam, a socio-political forum, Kharge argued that the RSS has long positioned itself as the guardian of nationalism despite failing to uphold the values it claims to represent.
“The RSS has no moral authority to issue certificates of patriotism. In my view, it is the most anti-national organisation in the country’s history,” he said.
The Congress leader added that his government was examining ways to ensure that organisations operating at such a large scale are brought under a transparent legal framework.
The RSS is a voluntary association and has never registered as a society, trust, or company under any law. It is legally recognised by courts and tax authorities as a “body of individuals”.
According to Kharge, he had written to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat after taking charge as Karnataka’s home minister, seeking clarification on why the organisation continues to function without formal registration. He said no reply was received.
“If they continue to remain outside the legal framework, Karnataka will consider enacting a law to make registration mandatory. Any organisation functioning in the state must comply with the law,” he said, adding that continued non-compliance could invite action, including a ban.
Kharge also revisited several historical criticisms levelled against the RSS, alleging that the organisation distanced itself from India’s national symbols during the freedom movement and the years immediately after independence from the British.
Referring to historical writings and publications, he claimed the RSS preferred the saffron flag over the tricolour before independence and resisted accepting the national flag after 1947.
He further alleged that the tricolour was not hoisted at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur for decades and questioned the organisation’s commitment to the Constitution, accusing it of favouring the ancient Manusmriti text instead.
“An organisation that neither respected the national flag nor accepted the Constitution cannot claim to be the custodian of nationalism,” Kharge asserted.
He further said that democratic institutions had failed to adequately scrutinise the RSS over the years, allowing its influence to expand unchecked.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, who shared the stage with Kharge at the event, supported the call for greater transparency, saying that constitutional values must remain the strongest response to the ideological growth of the RSS.
“Expansion of the RSS can only be countered through the expansion of constitutionalism,” Bhushan said.
The event was also attended by Congress leader and former MP Udit Raj.
Kharge has been pressing the issue of the RSS’s legal status for several weeks now.
During the organisation’s centenary year, he called on the Sangh to mark the occasion by voluntarily registering itself and adopting greater transparency in its organisational and financial functioning.
The RSS, however, rejected the proposal. Responding to Kharge’s demand, Bhagwat described it as a politically motivated campaign and maintained that the Sangh operates in the open.
“We have nothing to hide. There are many institutions and traditional organisations that are not registered. We function publicly, invite people to understand our work and are transparent about our activities. Such political gimmicks are not new to us,” Bhagwat had said.
Established in 1925, the RSS has faced government bans thrice: in 1948, soon after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, during the Emergency in 1975, and in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid’s demolition in 1992. The final ban was revoked in 1993.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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