A fresh political row has erupted over the legal status and accountability of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), with Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge urging the organisation to “shun arrogance” and subject itself to the same standards of transparency and legal scrutiny as other public bodies.
Kharge’s remarks came in response to comments made by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who recently dismissed demands for the organisation to formally register itself, arguing that the RSS operates openly and has nothing to hide.
In a social media post late on Monday, Kharge questioned Bhagwat’s assertion that the RSS was under no obligation to answer such questions, despite exercising considerable social and political influence across the country.
“In a constitutional democracy, no institution, however old or influential, can claim exemption from public accountability,” Kharge said, adding that organisations operating at such a scale must be prepared to explain their legal status, structure and functioning.
The Congress leader argued that while the RSS has every right to function as a cultural organisation, it cannot simultaneously maintain significant influence over public and political life while claiming it has no political role and therefore owes no accountability.
He pointed to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s long-standing acknowledgment of the RSS as its ideological mentor and said the organisation’s role in shaping public discourse was beyond dispute.
Kharge further contended that the RSS receives support through an extensive network of affiliated bodies in India and abroad and operates from large organisational headquarters across the country. He also referred to security arrangements provided to senior RSS functionaries, arguing that organisations benefiting from public resources should be subject to greater transparency.
The minister had earlier written to Bhagwat seeking clarity on the RSS’s legal status and requesting disclosures relating to its funding, assets, income and expenditure.
Bhagwat, speaking during an interaction in Kerala’s Thrissur on Sunday, rejected calls for registration, describing them as politically motivated. He maintained that the RSS conducts its activities in the open and is well known to the government.
