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Priyank raises question on RSS funding
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge questions RSS funding transparency after its chief claimed it relies on volunteer donations, demanding accountability.
State minister Priyank Kharge on Monday added another contention to his sustained criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its presence in the state, questioning how the organisation managed to raise and control funding despite not being formally registered.
Kharge was responding to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent assertion that the organisation ran “entirely on contributions from its volunteers.”
Kharge took to X to hit out at the assertion, writing: “Bhagwat has stated that the RSS functions through donations made by its volunteers. However, several legitimate questions arise regarding this claim.”
“If the RSS operates transparently, why are donations not made directly to the organisation under its own registered identity?” he asked, noting that the absence of such systems raised concerns about accountability.
The financial workings of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have come under renewed scrutiny after Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge publicly questioned how the century-old organisation raises and manages its funds despite not being formally registered.
Kharge, a senior Congress leader and the son of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, took to X on Monday to respond to remarks made by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who recently said that the organisation “runs entirely on contributions from its volunteers.”
“Bhagwat has stated that the RSS functions through donations made by its volunteers. However, several legitimate questions arise regarding this claim,” Kharge wrote, suggesting that the Sangh’s funding practices required far greater transparency.
Kharge further pressed for clarity on how the organisation sustains its expansive infrastructure -- from salaries for its full-time pracharaks to the maintenance of local offices and expenses tied to its large-scale events and outreach programmes. He also questioned the financial oversight of local branches that sell uniforms and materials to swayamsevaks, wondering where such revenue is documented.
“These questions underscore a fundamental issue of transparency and accountability,” Kharge wrote, adding that the Sangh’s unregistered status stood in sharp contrast to other charitable and religious institutions in India. “Why does the RSS continue to remain unregistered despite its vast national presence and influence? When every religious or charitable institution in India is required to maintain financial transparency, what justifies the absence of similar accountability mechanisms for the RSS?”
Bhagwat, speaking on Sunday in Bengaluru during a question-and-answer session as part of the event “100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons”, defended the organisation’s structure and dismissed the need for formal registration. “RSS was established in 1925, so do you expect us to have registered with the British government?” he said.
He argued that the organisation’s legal standing as a “body of individuals” had been recognised both by the Indian government and the courts. “Registration was not compulsory after Independence,” Bhagwat said. “We are categorised as a body of individuals, and we are a recognised organisation.”
Bhagwat added that successive bans on the RSS by different governments served as indirect proof of its legitimacy. “We were banned thrice. So the government has recognised us. If we were not there, whom would they ban?” he asked, referring to previous crackdowns on the organisation.
He also maintained that the RSS’s classification by the Income Tax Department as a “body of individuals” exempted it from taxation, reinforcing its legal standing under Indian law.
