E-Paper
Siddaramaiah seeks study of Tamil Nadu's curbs on RSS activities
In his Oct 4 letter, Priyank Kharge urged Siddaramaiah to prohibit RSS shakhas and gatherings in government institutions and public spaces
Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he has asked the chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh to study the Tamil Nadu government’s move to restrict activities organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)on government premises, following a letter from minister for rural development, Panchayat Raj, IT and BT Priyank Kharge demanding a similar move in the state.
Siddaramaiah’s directions came a day after Kharge’s October 4 letter was made public by the chief minister’s office. In his letter, Kharge urged Siddaramaiah to prohibit RSS shakhas and gatherings in government institutions and public spaces, arguing that the organisation’s ideology was “contrary to the principles of unity, equality and secularism” guaranteed by the Constitution.
“Priyank Kharge has written a letter. He has said that the RSS was using government premises, and to do what the government in Tamil Nadu has done (to stop it). I have asked the chief secretary to verify and see what has been done in Tamil Nadu,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru.
Kharge, the son of All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge, alleged that RSS members were conducting ideological training in schools and public grounds with slogans that instilled “negative ideas in the minds of children and youth.”
“When divisive forces that sow hatred among the people raise their heads, our Constitution, founded on the core principles of integrity, equality, and unity, grants us the authority to curb such elements and uphold the secular values of the nation,” wrote Kharge.
The Karnataka BJP responded to the letter on Monday, sharing an old photograph of Mallikarjun Kharge attending an RSS event at Nagavara in Bengaluru in 2002, when he was the state’s home minister.
“Look here, Priyank Kharge. Your father personally visited the camp, appreciated the RSS’s social service activities, and extended full cooperation. Are you putting on an act today to impress the high command?” the accompanying caption read.
Priyank Kharge dismissed the BJP’s claims as “misleading propaganda,” clarifying that his father’s visit to the 2002 event was not one of endorsement but of caution. “In 2002, the RSS was conducting a convention in a sensitive area. As home minister, my father went there to ensure peace and warned them that if they indulged in communal violence, they would be jailed,” he said.
He added that senior police officers, including then Bengaluru police commissioner SP Sangliana, were present at the event. “I challenge the BJP to produce any document proving that Mallikarjun Kharge attended the event as an invitee. He was there only to caution them,” he said.
Reiterating his stance, Kharge said that he was not against Hinduism but against the RSS’s ideological influence. “I am not against Hindus or Hinduism. I am against the RSS because its ideology denies equality and has no respect for the Constitution. Without the Constitution, we would not exist,” he said.
Accusing the BJP of acting as “a puppet of the RSS,” Kharge said the organisation’s reach within government institutions and its influence on young people needed scrutiny. “If other organisations took out marches wielding sticks, would they be allowed? Why should the RSS be treated differently? Why this special privilege?” he asked.
Kharge linked his concerns to recurring communal incidents, particularly in Mangaluru and parts of the Malnad region, claiming that victims of such violence were often from poor and backward communities. “The brainwashing happening in schools and public spaces must stop,” he asserted, adding that “organisations like the RSS must be kept out of society if we want true equality.”
The BJP, however, hit back at Kharge’s criticism, accusing him of deflecting from corruption allegations. State BJP president BY Vijayendra said the minister’s statements on the RSS were a ploy to divert public attention from growing controversies surrounding the Congress government.
“Reliable sources suggest that contractors’ allegations of large-scale corruption featured prominently on your dinner meeting agenda,” Vijayendra said in a statement on Monday
“Reprimanded for your zero performance — both in your Ministry and in your own Kalaburagi constituency — you’ve clearly found a new distraction tactic: talk about the RSS,” Vijayendra added.
He also claimed that the Congress had historically wronged Dr. BR Ambedkar and questioned the financial integrity of the current stategovernment. “No amount of RSS-bashing will wash away your government’s corruption, incompetence, or the growing public outrage over collapsing infrastructure in Bengaluru and across Karnataka,” said the state BJP chief.
