After RSS Ban Remark, Priyank Kharge Calls RSS 'Cancer', Says BJP’s Support Is Superficial
Karnataka Minister for Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, IT and BT, Priyank Kharge, once again targeted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), calling the RSS “a cancer” and accusing BJP leaders of feigning loyalty to the organisation for political survival.
Taking to the X platform, Kharge wrote: “The BJP’s love for the RSS is only superficial, it resides in their throats, not in their hearts. If their admiration were genuine, BJP leaders would be sending their own children to RSS shakhas instead of schools.”
RSS ನಿಷೇಧದ ನನ್ನ ಹೇಳಿಕೆಯ ಕುರಿತಾಗಿ ವಿಜಯೇಂದ್ರ ಅವರು ಹಾಗು ಸುನಿಲ್ ಕುಮಾರ್ ಅವರು ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಬಿಜೆಪಿಯ ನಾಯಕರು ಬಗೆಬಗೆಯ ಹೇಳಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಕುರ್ಚಿ ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು, ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಭವಿಷ್ಯ ಕಂಡುಕೊಳ್ಳಲು RSS ರಕ್ಷಣೆಗೆ ನಿಲ್ಲುವುದು ಬಿಜೆಪಿಯವರಿಗೆ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯ, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಇವರೆಲ್ಲರ ಜುಟ್ಟು ನಾಗಪುರದ ಹಿಡಿತದಲ್ಲಿದೆ.… pic.twitter.com/im18qce2tL
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) July 2, 2025
Priyank Kharge, who is also the son of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, made these comments in response to the controversy sparked by his earlier remarks suggesting a potential ban on the RSS should Congress come to power at the Centre.
The minister accused BJP leaders of being “tethered to Nagpur,” a reference to the RSS headquarters, and claimed that they defend the organisation not out of belief, but out of political compulsion.
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“For BJP leaders, defending the RSS is absolutely essential to safeguard their positions and to secure their political future, because they are all tethered to Nagpur. Even if they dislike it, they are compelled to defend the RSS,” he said.
In the long statement, Kharge reiterated his position that the RSS poses a threat to the Constitution, national unity, and secular values, and claimed that it has historically worked against the principles enshrined in the Indian freedom movement.
“Let the BJP not forget that there is a cure for the cancer that is RSS, an organisation that threatens national unity, the national anthem, the national flag, and the Constitution, and that cure lies within the Constitution itself,” he declared. In a direct challenge, Kharge questioned the RSS’s contributions over the past century as it nears its 100th anniversary.
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“My challenge to the BJP: As the RSS prepares to celebrate its centenary, let it list just ten contributions it has made to the country over the past 100 years. What has it done to improve the nation’s economy? What efforts has it made for social reform, or to eradicate inequality and oppression? What has it done for the poor? For national unity?”
He also accused the RSS of absenteeism during India’s freedom struggle, stating: “Why did the RSS stay away during the Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement? Why did it side with the British? Why did it burn copies of the Constitution and oppose the national flag? Why did it refuse to hoist the Tricolour for decades?”
He then launched a hypothetical taunt at the BJP leaders by invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “If Prime Minister Modi were to suddenly launch a campaign like ‘Selfie with Shakha’ for BJP leaders’ children, even the RSS would come to know the truth of their loyalty.
“Even if one doesn’t fear mobs or violence, one must fear the Constitution of this country. In this nation, the Constitution is the ultimate authority; wearing khaki shorts and waving sticks doesn’t give anyone the power to defy the Constitution, nor does it make anyone a patriot,” he added.
