BJP is RSS's instrument, 'hisses' when questioned: Priyank Kharge

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge mocked the BJP, calling it an 'instrument' of the RSS that 'hisses back' when questioned. He cited BJP's defensive reaction to queries on the RSS's patriotism, financial transparency, and constitutional compliance.

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday mocked the BJP, saying it acts as a mere instrument of the RSS, amid the ongoing tussle between him and the RSS over his demand for clarity on its constitutional and financial compliance.

In a post on X, Kharge claimed that every time someone questions the RSS, the BJP loses its composure and "hisses back." He asked why an organisation, which he claimed contributed nothing to the freedom struggle, now guides the nation on patriotism, and why it took 52 years for the Tricolour to be hoisted at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, saying both questions provoke the same defensive reaction from the BJP.

Kharge said the BJP "rattles" whenever the RSS faces scrutiny, reacting defensively each time. He brought up several questions, which, according to him, ignite the same response: why an outfit, which Kharge claimed, stayed out of the independence movement, now positions itself as an authority on patriotism, and why nearly five decades passed before the national flag was raised at the RSS's Nagpur headquarters.

Kharge went on to ask whose Constitution the RSS truly swears by, Babasaheb Ambedkar's, or "the one they wish they had written instead", and alleged that the organisation refuses to register itself or pay taxes. "Rattle the RSS & BJP hisses. Everytime anyone questions the RSS, BJP loses its composure. Ask why an organisation that contributed nothing to the freedom struggle now lectures the nation on patriotism and the BJP hisses back. Ask why it took 52 years for the Tricolour to be hoisted at Nagpur and the BJP hisses back. Ask whose Constitution they truly swear by Babasaheb's, or the one they wish they had written instead and the BJP hisses back. Ask why they refuse to register themselves, pay taxes and BJP hisses back. Ask RSS to follow what it preaches and BJP hisses back. The BJP has always been the RSS' instrument, never merely its ally. Every hiss just confirms who's holding the tail," he said on X. https://x.com/PriyankKharge/status/2070053802506666481?s=20

Ongoing Feud Over RSS Transparency

The remarks come amid a continuing row that began after Kharge wrote an open letter to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking clarity on the organisation's legal status, financial transparency and constitutional accountability as it marks 100 years of its existence, saying an organisation that claims over 60,000 shakhas and crores of swayamsevaks in India and abroad must be held to the "highest standards of transparency, accountability and constitutional compliance".

In the letter, he sought details on the RSS' legal status and organisational structure, its office-bearers, sources of donations and income, expenditure and assets, tax compliance, and the legal basis for conducting activities without formal registration.

War of Words Escalates

The RSS has largely brushed off the demand, with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat earlier saying that he saw no need to respond to Kharge and dismissing the questions as a "political gimmick" the Sangh was used to. Several BJP leaders have since weighed in, including Lok Sabha MP Ramesh Jigajinagi, who warned that no one who had tried to "touch the RSS" had been spared, a remark Kharge dismissed earlier, asking whether the RSS was a "terrorist organisation" that "finishes off" those who question it, and asserting that as a follower of Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideology, he was "not afraid of threats". (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)