CM defends min’s call for RSS activities ban
Siddaramaiah defended Priyank Kharge’s appeal for a ban on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activities in government buildings
Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday defended state IT-BT and rural development minister Priyank Kharge’s appeal for a ban on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activities in government buildings in the state, hours after Kharge shared a purported audio clip on X, wherein an unidentified man is heard showering Kharge and family members, including the minister’s mother, in alleged verbal abuse and threats.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said there was “nothing wrong” with the minister’s appeal. “He has only said that RSS activities should not be allowed on government premises and that a ban like in Tamil Nadu should be considered. What is wrong in that?”
Regarding the alleged threats, he said, “Such intimidation tactics are the work of evil forces. Priyank will not be scared, and neither will I.”
He also confirmed that he had instructed officials to gather details about the restrictions imposed on the RSS in Tamil Nadu. “I have directed the Chief Secretary to collect information on how the ban was implemented there. Once the report comes in, we will examine it,” he said, adding that security would be provided to Kharge.
On Wednesday, Siddaramaiah also responded to BJP leaders who had challenged the Congress government’s position on the RSS ban. “During elections, they said, ‘If you have the courage, come face us,’ but they were defeated. If they are truly powerful, let them impose a ban on the RSS themselves,” he said
Earlier in the day, Kharge posted a video message on his X account, wherein he played the audio clip in question. “I said that RSS is working to fill the minds of young people and children with filth, here is a small sample of just what that filth looks like,” Kharge wrote in the attached caption.
“Is it the culture of the shakhas to insult mothers and sisters by calling them names and insulting them in the most despicable way?” the post added.
“While the children of BJP leaders are building their bright future, children from poor and disadvantaged families are being used as sacrificial goats to abuse and threaten others. If I lodge a complaint, it will only hurt this person’s life and cause no harm to those who pushed him into such a state of mind,” Kharge said.
Kharge also asked whether BJP leaders including BY Vijayendra, R. Ashoka, CT Ravi, V Sunil Kumar, Pratap Simha, and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy “would find it acceptable if such abuses were hurled at the mothers of Modi and Mohan Bhagwat?” Continuing his criticism of the RSS, he said, “Our fight is not against people, but against this dirty mentality being spread by the RSS; it is a fight against evil forces that are brainwashing the innocent and polluting their minds.”
Kharge reaffirmed his commitment to “introduce the ideals of Buddha, Basavanna, and Ambedkar” to those being drawn into RSS activities, saying he was determined to prevent young people from being “corrupted by such a system.” “If they thought I would be rattled by these threats and insults, they are delusional. Mine is not just power-centric politics, it is ideological politics -- a people-centric politics that strives to bring innocent youth out of this vicious circle,” he added.
The controversy began on Sunday, when Kharge wrote to Siddaramaiah with an appeal that all RSS activities be barred on government properties. “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,” the letter stated.
On Sunday, after the RSS held 100 events across Bengaluru Kharge demanded that such activities not be allowed on government properties. He said in his letter to the chief minister, “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.”
