'Lifting Ban From RSS Was A Mistake': Congress Chief Kharge's Son Priyank Stirs Controversy

News18

a day ago

Last Updated:
Kharge, the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, said the RSS, ideological parent organisation of the BJP, never accepted the Constitution and now they want to change it
Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday said that it was a mistake of Congress to lift the ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His remarks came after RSS General Secretary Dattattreya Hosabale recently called for the removal of the words 'socialist" and 'secular" from the Indian constitution.
Kharge, the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, said the RSS, ideological parent organisation of the BJP, never accepted the Constitution and now they want to change it.
'We have opposed the ideology of the RSS in the past also and had banned them two-three times. Lifting the ban was our (Congress') mistake. They fell at our feet, saying they won't indulge in anti-national activities. There are documents for this," the minister said, as reported by Deccan Herald.
When asked if Congress will ban the RSS if it comes to power at the Centre, Kharge said, 'We will see. It's not the first time they will be been banned, right? Didn't Sardar Patel ban them? Then they went and fell at his feet. They pleaded no, no, we will follow the law of the land. After that, Indira Gandhiji banned it again. They went and said no, no we will cooperate. We will abide by the laws of the land. There cannot be one law of the land for the rest of the country and for one organisation like this."
Dubbing the RSS 'anti-national", Kharge further said, instead of tough questions to their political outfit– the BJP– about job loss, the Pahalgam terror attack, India's external affairs, the RSS is sowing 'seeds of communal hatred" in society.
'Very clearly, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in his last speech has defined anti-nationals as those who create animosity by bringing in caste, and those people who are going to impede the social, political and economic progress of the country are the real anti-national. Those people who sow the seeds of communal hatred in society are anti-national. So who's doing that right now? They burned the constitution and said that we want the Manusmriti as our constitution. Didn't they say that?" he asked.
'Change his name to 'Mungerilal ke haseen sapne'. They have been in power before and tried many times, even banned the RSS twice. What was the result? We suffered heavy defeats in elections, and even now, we keep facing losses. I wonder what these 'haseen sapne' are, that our government — which is not coming to power — will ban the RSS. If you have the courage, you have governments in Karnataka, Himachal, and Telangana. Why can't you do it there? Because the Supreme Court has clearly stated that you cannot ban any cultural organisation like this," he said.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) National Spokesperson Vinod Bansal called Kharge's remark 'absurd."
'This is not the first time he has made such a controversial statement. He has previously made several absurd remarks against Sanatan Dharma," he added.
(With inputs from ANI, IANS)
First Published:
July 01, 2025, 14:47 IST