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While the BJP continued to rile against IT-BT and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge for seeking a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activities in government institutions and on public premises, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he had instructed the Chief Secretary to study measures taken by the neighbouring Tamil Nadu government to restrict the activities of the outfit there.
Speaking to reporters in Bagalkot on Monday, he said, “Mr. Kharge has written a letter and flagged the issue of RSS using government premises, and to do what the government in Tamil Nadu had done to stop it. I have asked the Chief Secretary to verify and see what has been done in Tamil Nadu.”
On Sunday, the day RSS held 100 events across Bengaluru to mark its centenary, Mr. Kharge sought the government’s intervention to ensure that the organisation did not use government premsies for its events. He said in the letter, “In the interest of the well-being of the country’s children, youth, the public, and society as a whole, I earnestly request that a ban be imposed on all types of activities conducted by the RSS, whether under the name of shakha, sanghik, or baithak on the premises of government properties.”
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also questioned the RSS, stating, “The RSS is a political outfit, even though they claim to be a cultural organisation. How can a political outfit be allowed to use government facilities?”
Home Minister G. Parameshwara said the decision rested with the government, not individual Ministers. “If it comes to our department, we will check it. Right now, there is no law, and there is no room for a ban. This is not a question of my opinion, the government should decide.”
‘Patriotism and terrorism’
Meanwhile, various BJP leaders continued to criticise Mr. Kharge for his views on RSS.
Former Minister C.T. Ravi, MLC, challenged Mr. Kharge to a public debate on the issue, saying there was “a huge difference between terrorism and patriotism” and RSS represented the latter. The Congress, he alleged, was “supporting terrorism and eliminating patriotism”.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said any attempt to ban RSS would be “futile” as the organisation had only grown stronger every time it had been banned in the past.
Ban by Patel
Mr. Kharge kept up his critique of the RSS on Monday and pointed out that in 1948, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the then Union Home Minister, was instrumental in banning RSS in the aftermath of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.
He mocked the BJP leaders for their “double standards” of not encouraging their own children to don Gana Vesha (the uniform of RSS) while asking others to do so.
On visit of Kharge Sr. to camp
The BJP on its official handle on Monday posted a picture of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge at an RSS camp, stating that it was proof of the senior leader “appreciating the RSS’s social service activities” and “extending full cooperation.”
Hitting back, his son and Minister Priyank Kharge said on X that it was BJP’s “false propaganda.” He clarified that his father had visited the site after chairing a peace committee meeting with officials and community representatives.
He pointed out that Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge was accompanied by the then Police Commissioner H.T. Sangliana. “If you recall correctly, he made it clear: either abide by the law of the land or be prepared to face the consequences.”
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