‘RSS Must Be Accountable’: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge Renews Challenge Over Registration, Tax Exemptions
Bengaluru, June 8: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has reignited his confrontation with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), questioning the organisation’s registration status, tax exemptions and financial transparency while challenging RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to participate in a public debate with legal and constitutional experts.
Speaking to the media, Kharge alleged that the RSS had failed to adequately answer questions regarding its organisational structure, funding mechanisms and tax treatment.
The minister said the RSS should keep all its registration-related documents ready, asserting that every organisation operating in the country must remain accountable under the Constitution and the law.
Kharge questioned the basis on which the RSS receives exemptions related to “Guru Dakshina” contributions and demanded greater transparency regarding donations and financial operations.
“ If every rupee donated to temples and religious institutions is accounted for, how can any organisation claim exemption without being answerable? Nobody can be above the Constitution of India,” Kharge said.
He argued that merely functioning as a body of individuals does not automatically exempt an organisation from taxation or regulatory scrutiny.
The Karnataka Home Minister also challenged RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to engage in an open discussion with constitutional experts rather than addressing only RSS volunteers.
“If the RSS is confident about its legal position, let there be a debate with constitutional experts, legal scholars and independent voices. Let us discuss the Constitution, the national flag, the freedom struggle, social justice, Dalit rights and women’s empowerment,” he said.
Kharge alleged that speeches delivered exclusively before RSS cadres amounted to discussions within an “echo chamber” and did not address the broader questions being raised.
Emphasising constitutional accountability, Kharge said the influence or size of an organisation cannot place it above the law.
“It does not matter how powerful any organisation is. No organisation can be more powerful than the Constitution of India,” he said.
The minister further claimed that questions regarding Guru Dakshina collections, funding sources and institutional expansion remain unanswered despite being raised several weeks ago.
The remarks mark the latest episode in the ongoing political confrontation between Priyank Kharge and the RSS.
The minister has previously criticised the organisation on multiple occasions, including controversies relating to RSS activities in educational institutions. Those disputes had earlier reached the Karnataka High Court, which subsequently set aside restrictions imposed on certain RSS-linked programmes.
Kharge’s latest comments are expected to trigger a fresh political debate between the Congress government in Karnataka and the RSS over issues of transparency, accountability and constitutional obligations.
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