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‘No difference between Jaish-e-Mohammed, Taliban, RSS’: Karnataka Congress chief
Priyank Kharge criticized the BJP and RSS, saying Congress does not require validation of patriotism from groups lacking contributions to the freedom struggle.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President BK Hariprasad on Monday compared the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to international terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Taliban while targeting them over patriotism and legal registration status.
Addressing the press conference, Hariprasad said, “There is no difference between Jaish-e-Mohammed, Taliban, and RSS because all three are not registered in India.”
Vande Mataram row
On Keralam VC Mohanan Kunnummal’s remarks regarding the Vande Mataram controversy, the KPCC president said, “...He has rightly directed this at the RSS because they never sing Vande Mataram, nor do they sing the national anthem or hoist the tricolour flag...”
The remarks follow an FIR filed against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi alleging disruption during the rendition of “Vande Mataram,” alongside recent remarks by Kerala VC Mohanan Kunnummal at an RSS gathering criticising those who oppose the national song.
Hariprasad’s comments reinforce Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge’s recent demand for the RSS to publicly clarify under which Indian laws it holds property, bank accounts, and receives donations. The row over RSS registration flared after BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh said at a Hindu Jagarana Vedike ‘Akhand Bharat Sankalp Day’ event that the Sangh does not need legal registration.
Santhosh argued the RSS has operated since 1925 without statutory status, and that public trust, not paperwork, defines an organisation. He added that the RSS stood with the nation during Partition and other crises without state certification.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge hit back on X, shifting the focus to accountability. He asked five key questions: Under what law does RSS exist?; Who owns its nationwide properties? Unregistered bodies can’t hold assets directly.; In whose name are accounts run and donations like Gurudakshina received? and Where are audited accounts and tax filings?
Congress rejects ‘patriotism certificates’
“History cannot be a substitute for legal transparency,” Kharge said as influence grows, public accountability must grow too. Priyank Kharge on Monday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ABVP, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), declaring that the Congress party does not require validation of its patriotism from organisations that contributed nothing to India’s freedom struggle.
Addressing a press conference, Kharge said, “And whether it’s BJP Yuva Morcha, ABVP, or whether it is RSS, we don’t need certificates of being national or anti-national from them. These are the same people who have not done anything for the freedom struggle. Their political mentors didn’t even hoist the flag for 52 years.”
Kharge’s comments followed an FIR registered against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over alleged disruptions during the rendition of “Vande Mataram” on Independence Day, while also doubling down on fellow Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s harsh criticism of the RSS. Rejecting the opposition’s allegations, Kharge accused the Sangh Parivar of political opportunism and using national symbols as political tools. “The BJP is just interested in weaponising these things -- the national song, the national anthem. Everything they want to weaponise. So, whatever it is, they can file however many cases they want. We don’t need any certificate of Desh Bhakti from these people,” he added.
