Priyank Kharge seeks RSS funding, legal status details; Mohan Bhagwat responds
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge asked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to disclose the organisation's legal status, funding, expenditure and permissions. Bhagwat rejected the demand as political gimmick.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, asking the organisation to clarify its legal status, registration, sources of funding and expenditure, among other details.
In a two-page letter to Bhagwat, Kharge pointed out that the RSS has a significant presence in Karnataka, with over 60,000 shakhas and affiliated activities across the state, and argued that such a large organisation cannot remain outside legal oversight.
“In a constitutional democracy, no organisation, however old, large or influential, can remain above scrutiny. Every citizen, association, institution and body that operates in public life is expected to comply with the law,” Kharge said in his letter.
Bhagwat, however, hit back at the Karnataka government's demand, saying the RSS does not require registration as it does not receive government funding. He noted that the organisation has been functioning in India for 100 years and that no authority had previously insisted on its registration. Describing the demand as politically motivated, Bhagwat accused the state government of attempting to create confusion among the public.
CLARIFY LEGAL STATUS, FUNDING: PRIYANK KHARGE
Citing RSS records, Kharge said the organisation has an extensive footprint in Karnataka, with 4,127 daily shakhas, 1,389 weekly milans and 60 monthly mandalis. It has also organised 2,194 conventions and more than 500 route marches across the state.
“Such an extensive organisational presence, especially when it involves regular public mobilisation, uniformed route marches and large-scale social outreach, cannot be treated as a private or informal arrangement. It raises legitimate questions about legal status, accountability, financial transparency, public order, permissions, sources of funding and compliance with the Constitution and laws of India,” the minister argued.
Kharge sought public disclosure of the RSS's legal status and organisational structure, details of its office-bearers and authorised representatives, sources of donations and other income, and information regarding its expenditure and assets.
The Home Minister also sought clarification on whether the RSS pays applicable taxes in accordance with the law and the legal basis on which it conducts its activities without formal registration.
Additionally, the letter asked the RSS to explain the constitutional and statutory framework under which it claims the right to operate on such a large scale without public accountability and to provide details of permissions obtained for its public activities.
Kharge's letter came days after he questioned the legal provision under which the RSS is exempted from registration and accountability to the government, and said he was willing to visit its headquarters to understand the matter.
MERE POLITICAL TACTICS: MOHAN BHAGWAT RESPONDS
Responding to the Karnataka government's demands at an event in Kerala, Bhagwat said several organisations in India function without registration and pointed out that Hindu Dharma itself is not registered. He also rejected allegations that the RSS operates in secrecy, saying all its activities are conducted openly.
"This is politics, and all kinds of gimmicks are being tried. Let them try. We are used to it. We faced such challenges even 15 years after the formation of the Sangh. If these questions do not arise, we feel something is missing," Bhagwat said on Sunday while responding to Kharge's demand made two days earlier.
"The Sangh started during British rule. Hindu Dharma is not registered, and many other entities are not registered. Those who seek government funds require registration. In over 100 years, nobody has told us that we must register," he added.
Bhagwat further said that the RSS had submitted its written constitution to the government in the 1960s and that the government accepted it without demanding registration.
"They want to create doubts in the minds of people. That is no longer possible," he said.
The RSS is not formally registered as a society, trust, NGO or political party under Indian statutory law. Earlier, Bhagwat had claimed that the Income Tax Department and courts had treated the RSS as an association of individuals, and that the organisation had been granted income tax exemptions.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, asking the organisation to clarify its legal status, registration, sources of funding and expenditure, among other details.
In a two-page letter to Bhagwat, Kharge pointed out that the RSS has a significant presence in Karnataka, with over 60,000 shakhas and affiliated activities across the state, and argued that such a large organisation cannot remain outside legal oversight.
“In a constitutional democracy, no organisation, however old, large or influential, can remain above scrutiny. Every citizen, association, institution and body that operates in public life is expected to comply with the law,” Kharge said in his letter.
Bhagwat, however, hit back at the Karnataka government's demand, saying the RSS does not require registration as it does not receive government funding. He noted that the organisation has been functioning in India for 100 years and that no authority had previously insisted on its registration. Describing the demand as politically motivated, Bhagwat accused the state government of attempting to create confusion among the public.
CLARIFY LEGAL STATUS, FUNDING: PRIYANK KHARGE
Citing RSS records, Kharge said the organisation has an extensive footprint in Karnataka, with 4,127 daily shakhas, 1,389 weekly milans and 60 monthly mandalis. It has also organised 2,194 conventions and more than 500 route marches across the state.
“Such an extensive organisational presence, especially when it involves regular public mobilisation, uniformed route marches and large-scale social outreach, cannot be treated as a private or informal arrangement. It raises legitimate questions about legal status, accountability, financial transparency, public order, permissions, sources of funding and compliance with the Constitution and laws of India,” the minister argued.
Kharge sought public disclosure of the RSS's legal status and organisational structure, details of its office-bearers and authorised representatives, sources of donations and other income, and information regarding its expenditure and assets.
The Home Minister also sought clarification on whether the RSS pays applicable taxes in accordance with the law and the legal basis on which it conducts its activities without formal registration.
Additionally, the letter asked the RSS to explain the constitutional and statutory framework under which it claims the right to operate on such a large scale without public accountability and to provide details of permissions obtained for its public activities.
Kharge's letter came days after he questioned the legal provision under which the RSS is exempted from registration and accountability to the government, and said he was willing to visit its headquarters to understand the matter.
MERE POLITICAL TACTICS: MOHAN BHAGWAT RESPONDS
Responding to the Karnataka government's demands at an event in Kerala, Bhagwat said several organisations in India function without registration and pointed out that Hindu Dharma itself is not registered. He also rejected allegations that the RSS operates in secrecy, saying all its activities are conducted openly.
"This is politics, and all kinds of gimmicks are being tried. Let them try. We are used to it. We faced such challenges even 15 years after the formation of the Sangh. If these questions do not arise, we feel something is missing," Bhagwat said on Sunday while responding to Kharge's demand made two days earlier.
"The Sangh started during British rule. Hindu Dharma is not registered, and many other entities are not registered. Those who seek government funds require registration. In over 100 years, nobody has told us that we must register," he added.
Bhagwat further said that the RSS had submitted its written constitution to the government in the 1960s and that the government accepted it without demanding registration.
"They want to create doubts in the minds of people. That is no longer possible," he said.
The RSS is not formally registered as a society, trust, NGO or political party under Indian statutory law. Earlier, Bhagwat had claimed that the Income Tax Department and courts had treated the RSS as an association of individuals, and that the organisation had been granted income tax exemptions.
