Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 17 (ANI): Karnataka Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Monday attacked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), describing the organisation as a "thousand-headed venomous snake" fueled by communalism and casteism, while demanding an explicit apology to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
The escalating verbal offensive coincided with sharp criticisms from Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, who publicly challenged the legal status, asset transparency, and accountability of the century-old organisation.
Targeting the RSS and its affiliated ideological wings, Yathindra Siddaramaiah urged Congress workers to sustain ongoing protests until their demands are met.
"The RSS is like a thousand-headed venomous snake. It is filled with the poison of casteism, communalism and Manuvad. It is a snake that spits poison and seeks to poison the entire society. If we leave it unchecked, our society will be ruined and our country will also be harmed," he said.
He also demanded that the RSS, BJP and Sri Ram Sena publicly apologise to Mallikarjun Kharge, over the alleged 'shuddhikaran' (purification ritual) conducted at a venue in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, following a public rally addressed by the Congress President.
"The RSS, BJP and Sri Ram Sena must publicly apologise to our Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Until they do so, we must continue this protest and not give up. I appeal to all our Congress workers to continue the agitation. All those who are conscious and believe that the caste system must be eradicated should condemn the RSS's vile mindset and protest against it," said Yathindra Siddaramaiah.
Parallel to Siddaramaiah's statements, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge took to X on Sunday to address BJP General Secretary BL Santhosh regarding the statutory standing of the RSS. Kharge emphasised that national influence requires absolute transparency under a constitutional democracy.
"Existence is not the issue. Accountability is. If the RSS needs no registration to "establish its existence", then tell the country: What exactly is its legal status? Who legally constitutes the RSS? Who owns its assets? In whose name are its bank accounts operated? Under what framework are donations received and accounted for? Where are its audited accounts and statutory disclosures? A century-old organisation claiming enormous national reach should be able to answer these elementary questions. "We exist" is not an answer to "Who are you accountable to?" And history cannot be a substitute for legal transparency. In a constitutional democracy, the larger and more influential an organisation becomes, the greater the case for transparency, not the lesser," said Kharge.
The Karnataka Minister further emphasised that no one doubts the existence of the RSS, stating that the Karnataka government is merely asking under which law and legal framework the organisation functions.
"Dearest Santosh Ji, Nobody is questioning whether the RSS exists. The question is: under what law does it exist and under what legal identity does it function?.... So yes, Mr Santosh, nobody doubts that the RSS exists. The question is why an organisation that claims to shape the destiny of Bharath is so reluctant to clearly establish its legal identity and public accountability," added Kharge. (ANI)
"Casteism, communalism, Manuvad": Karnataka Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah calls RSS a "thousand-headed venomous snake"
