Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday continued his strong criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), describing the organisation as a “cancer” and claiming the BJP’s allegiance to it is only superficial.
Kharge, who serves as Minister for Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, IT and BT, and is the son of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, made the remarks days after stating that the Congress would consider banning the RSS if it came to power at the Centre.
He asserted that following his earlier comments, BJP leaders including State President B.Y. Vijayendra and MLA V. Sunil Kumar had issued multiple statements. He warned the BJP not to forget that “there is a cure for the cancer that is RSS – an organisation that threatens national unity, the national anthem, the national flag, and the Constitution – and that cure lies within the Constitution itself.”
Kharge alleged that defending the RSS was essential for BJP leaders to maintain their political stature, as they were “tethered to Nagpur”. Even if reluctant, he claimed, they were compelled to show loyalty to the RSS.
Taking a personal dig, the minister said the BJP’s affection for the RSS was only “superficial” and questioned why none of the party leaders sent their children to RSS shakhas. “Even the BJP knows that associating their children with the RSS would ruin their futures,” he remarked.
He went on to say that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a campaign such as ‘Selfie with Shakha’ for BJP leaders’ children, the truth of their loyalties would be exposed. Kharge further claimed that even Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had once banned the RSS, viewing it as a terrorist organisation.
He urged BJP leaders to respect the Constitution and posed a pointed challenge: as the RSS nears its 100th anniversary, let it list ten concrete contributions to the nation. Kharge questioned the organisation’s absence during key moments of the freedom struggle, including the Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement, and accused it of opposing symbols of national unity such as the Tricolour and the Constitution.
“Wearing khaki shorts and waving sticks doesn't give anyone the power to defy the Constitution—nor does it make anyone a patriot,” he remarked.
Responding to the remarks, State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra dismissed Kharge’s statements as immature and politically motivated. “The Congress party's intolerance, hatred, and frustration toward the RSS will not harm the organisation in any way,” he said, adding that the RSS had withstood such attacks since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru.
(inputs from IANS)