Attacking Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) again, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday accused the RSS of indulging in “money laundering” even as he questioned RSS’s source of income. Questioning the unregistered status of RSS, the Minister said that he will ensure that the RSS gets registered one day or the other.
“RSS has a network of more than 2,500 organisations, including those in America and England. They are taking money in the name of Guru Dakshina. The Guru is defined as the flag, and the money is being collected in the name of the flag. I am telling that these people are into money laundering,” said the Minister, who, a couple of months back, had stoked a controversy urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to curtail the activities of RSS. “Where are they getting this kind of money? How is it coming? They want us to be good citizens by paying income tax, but they want to remain free,” he said here during the release of Karavaliya Raktha Kanneeru, a book recounting the horrors of communal riots in the coastal region.
On RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that the RSS was a body of individuals not requiring registration, Mr. Kharge said: “If not today, they will have to register (themselves). I will ensure it. As long as we have the law and the Constitution, it will happen. Because we have left them (without registering) for 100 years, should we leave them for another 100 years? To do it, you have to have political will and be legally and constitutionally right”.
The Minister said that it is good for organisations- whether RSS or others- to come under the ambit of the law. “They (RSS) are unregistered now. Are they above the law? Are they above the Constitution? (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat recently said in Bengaluru that they are a body of individuals. Even the Bangalore Club is a body of individuals. Have they not registered? Are they not paying tax?” he asked.
Being a vocal critic of the RSS, Mr. Kharge has taken on the organisation in recent times. He was accused of stonewalling the RSS centenary celebrations march at Chittapur, which was eventually held after the Karnataka High Court’s intervention. In October, he wrote to the Chief Minister seeking a ban on RSS activities on government premises.
Referring to the Chittapur controversy, he said, “The RSS had given an application to just inform the administration about the march. Will any organisation get approval for such information or should they specifically seek permission? Are they above law?”
Taking a dig at Mr. Bhagwat, the Minister said, “The RSS chief suggests people have three kids to protect the country and religion. However, he has remained a bachelor. All of you should beget children, but he will remain a bachelor. How does it work? Will he certify you for patriotism? Will he teach us what we are?”
“Where is the Guru Dakshina coming from?”
Later, speaking to reporters here, the Minister explained, “What I am asking is why these organisations have remained unregistered. Where is their Guru Dakshina coming from? Who is paying the Guru Dakshina? Why is it (RSS) not paying tax? When every rupee of others is being accounted for, why is there no accountability for their money?”
Mr. Kharge said, “If you want to contribute to RSS, you cannot give. What I am saying is that the law or the Constitution that is applicable for all, should be applicable to them too”.
‘Devil and its shadow’
Likening the RSS and BJP to a devil and its shadow, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday said that the fight for improvement of the country should be with the devil itself. “The RSS is the devil, and the BJP is its shadow. We are currently fighting with the devil’s shadow. If we fight the devil itself, the country will improve.” He said that the condition of the BJP without the RSS will be worse than the Janata Dal (Secular), and it will decline to a lower level than a regional party. Mr. Kharge a suggested that the Janata Dal (Secular) should remove Secular from its name.
Published – February 15, 2026 08:42 pm IST
