Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday used the 80th Independence Day to launch a strong attack on the RSS, questioning its contribution to India’s freedom struggle and challenging the organisation to identify members who sacrificed their lives in the fight against British rule.
“My only question to the RSS is this: tell us which freedom struggle you participated in,” Kharge said.
He claimed he could name 500 Congress members who were martyred during the freedom movement and challenged the RSS to provide the names of even 50 such individuals.
Kharge also accused the RSS of contributing to communal tensions following Partition and questioned what role the organisation had played in protecting people during the riots that erupted at the time.
The Karnataka minister further questioned the organisational status of the RSS, arguing that it could not simply be “banned” because, according to him, it was not a registered organisation.
“RSS cannot be banned. What Santosh and Mohan Bhagwat said is true: they cannot be banned. The reason is that they are not even registered. For me to ban your organisation, shouldn’t you be registered first?” he said.
His comments came amid a separate political dispute in Karnataka over the state government’s proposed legislation regulating the use of government premises and public property by organisations. The proposed law could affect activities such as RSS shakhas conducted in public spaces.
KHARGE DEFENDS BILL ON USE OF PUBLIC SPACES
Kharge also defended the Karnataka Regulation of Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill, 2026, dismissing BJP claims that the proposed legislation was specifically directed at the RSS.
Under the proposed law, organisations would have to obtain permission from the competent authority before organising programmes on government premises or public property, irrespective of whether they are formally registered.
Kharge questioned why the BJP was opposing the legislation without first examining its provisions.
“Does that Bill mention the name of any organisation, association, institution or political party?” he asked.
He said the proposed legislation was designed to provide statutory backing to existing Supreme Court and High Court directions governing the use of public spaces.
According to Kharge, organisations would continue to have the freedom to conduct programmes on private property, while the government had a responsibility to regulate events, processions and gatherings held on public land.
“Whatever you want to do, do it inside your house compound or office compound. Nobody has any issue,” he said.
Kharge also rejected claims that the proposed legislation amounted to a ban on any organisation.
“Where have we said in the Bill that it is a ban?” he asked, accusing the BJP of suffering from what he termed “Priyank-phobia”.
The proposed legislation has intensified the political confrontation because of its potential impact on organisations that regularly conduct activities on government grounds and other public spaces, including the RSS.
BJP LEADER DEFENDS RSS
Responding to Kharge’s comments, BJP leader BL Santhosh said on Saturday that the RSS did not require formal registration to establish its existence, arguing that the organisation had operated for decades with the support and trust of millions of people.
Speaking at an ‘Akhand Bharat Sankalp Day’ event organised by the Hindu Jagarana Vedike in Bengaluru, Santhosh said the RSS had stood with Hindus during Partition and continued to operate despite not being formally registered.
“At that time too, the RSS was not registered, and it is not registered even today. Registration does not determine its existence; it is an organisation working through the trust of millions of people,” he said.
Santhosh also argued that India’s Independence was secured through the sacrifices of thousands of revolutionaries and freedom fighters, rather than solely through movements such as the Salt Satyagraha or the spinning of the charkha.
He said India achieved freedom because lakhs of patriotic young men and women and soldiers fought while putting their lives at risk, adding that Independence was not something that had been given to the country as a gift.
