Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday launched a sharp counterattack against BJP MP Ramesh Jigajinagi, asserting that followers of B.R. Ambedkar fear no one, after the MP questioned why a Dalit minister should concern himself with the functioning of the RSS.
The exchange stems from Kharge’s recent demand that the RSS clarify its legal status and disclose details about its funding, assets and organisational structure. Reacting to the move on Wednesday, 17 June, Jigajinagi had asked why a Dalit man should be concerned about the RSS and suggested that Kharge should focus on his ministerial responsibilities.
Responding on Thursday, Kharge said the BJP MP’s remarks could be interpreted in several ways. He questioned whether Jigajinagi’s comments reflected frustration at being denied entry into the RSS’s inner circles despite belonging to the Dalit community, or whether they were intended as a warning.
“Is it a word of caution, advising Dalits not to associate with the RSS, which believes in the fundamentals of a hierarchical social order?” Kharge asked.
The minister further wondered whether the remarks implied that Dalits had no right to question the RSS, which he described as an organisation created to protect the interests of those who believe in social superiority. He also asked whether Jigajinagi’s comments suggested that Dalits were incapable of bringing organisations such as the RSS within the framework of constitutional accountability.
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