Shun arrogance, follow law: Priyank Kharge doubles down on RSS transparency demand
The Karnataka vs RSS face-off has escalated with state Home Minister Priyank Kharge doubling down on his demand for legal and funding details of the
The Karnataka vs RSS face-off has escalated with state Home Minister Priyank Kharge doubling down on his demand for legal and funding details of the organisation. In a fresh statement, the Congress leader urged the RSS to "shun arrogance" and follow the law of the land, asserting that it cannot simultaneously exercise "enormous social and political influence" while repeatedly insisting that it has no political agenda. Read Full Story The minister's comments came a day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat dismissed his demands seeking details about the legal, organisational, funding, expenditure, and ta related aspects of the 100-year-old organisation, saying that no outfit can stand above the law in a democracy. Bhagwat had termed the demand a political gimmick, saying Hindu Dharma does not require registration. Kharge said Bhagwat's immediate assertion that the RSS is under no obligation to answer any questions — "while he enjoys every protocol funded by taxpayers" — is the most troubling aspect of the controversy. He said it reflects a mindset that public accountability is optional and that the organisation stands above legal scrutiny. "In a constitutional democracy, no institution, however old or influential, enjoys that privilege. Shun the arrogance, follow the law and have your “office bearers” or “legal heads” come and explain to me," he said while sharing a video of the RSS chief and commenting on Karnataka's demand.
"In a constitutional democracy, no institution, however old or influential, enjoys that privilege. Shun the arrogance, follow the law and have your “office bearers” or “legal heads” come and explain to me," he said, sharing a video of the RSS chief, commenting on Karnataka's demand. A video of @DrMohanBhagwat ji is being widely circulated as a response to my letter is false. I dispatched my letter and put it up on social media on June 15, while this interaction by the RSS Chief was on June 13/14. Let me set the record straight. The RSS has every right to pic.twitter.com/HLCvgL4bAY— Priyank Kharge / (@PriyankKharge) June 15, 2026 Citing the RSS as the ideological foundation of the BJP, Kharge said the organisation has every right to function as a cultural body, as it claims to be, but it "cannot simultaneously exercise enormous social and political influence while repeatedly insisting that it has no political agenda and therefore owes no public accountability". The Karnataka Home Minister claimed that the RSS receives donations through a vast ecosystem of over 2,500 affiliated organisations, both domestic and overseas, and operates from a sprawling headquarters in Delhi as well as offices in other state capitals. "The RSS chief enjoys the Advanced Security Liaison protocol and other people of RSS have protocols funded by the taxpayer and the public is entitled to know whether the organisation complies with the same legal standards expected of everyone else," he said, adding that a formal recognition under law would settle this contradiction once and for all.
The BriefWire