Priyank Kharge’s demand to ban RSS activities on Govt. premises triggers BJP backlash

Priyank Kharge’s demand to ban RSS activities on Govt. premises triggers BJP backlash

mangaloretoday.com

Bengaluru, October 13, 2025: A political row erupted on social media after Karnataka IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking a ban on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activities on government premises, accusing the organisation of spreading divisive ideology through its programmes.

In his official letter, Kharge alleged that the RSS conducts ‘shakhas’ and gatherings in government schools, playgrounds, and temples, promoting an ideology that, he claimed, was unconstitutional and against the spirit of national unity. He urged the Chief Minister to prohibit RSS events on government property, asserting that such activities violate secular principles and undermine constitutional values.

Reacting to Kharge’s statement, the BJP Karnataka unit shared an old photograph of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge attending an RSS event in Nagavara, Bengaluru, in 2002. Posting the image on its official X handle, the party wrote in Kannada, “Look here, @PriyankKharge! Your father personally visited the camp, appreciated the RSS’ social service activities, and extended full cooperation. Are you putting on an act today to impress the high command?”

Responding sharply, Priyank Kharge dismissed the post as BJP’s propaganda, clarifying that his father, then serving as Home Minister of Karnataka, had visited the venue only to ensure law and order during the RSS event.

“He had come with the then Police Commissioner of Bangalore City, Sri. Sangliana. If you recall correctly, he made it clear: either abide by the law of the land or be prepared to face the consequences,” the minister wrote on his personal X account on Monday.