Clarify legal status, disclose sources of funding, Priyank Kharge tells RSS

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday, 15 June, asked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to register itself, clarify its legal status and disclose its sources of funding, income-expenditure and assets as the organisation marks its centenary. Writing to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Kharge said the RSS must uphold transparency and constitutional accountability.

Posting the letter on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Kharge said, “An organisation claiming to have over 60,000 shakhas and crores of swayamsevaks across India and abroad must uphold transparency, accountability and constitutional compliance.”

He called on the RSS to use its 100th year not merely for celebration but for introspection. “The best tribute it can pay to India in its 100th year is to register itself, disclose its activities and finances, pay all applicable taxes, and function as a transparent and accountable organisation within the framework of Indian law,” he said.

Kharge, son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, cited the 2025–26 Karnataka report of the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS)—the organisation’s highest decision-making body—which said the RSS has 4,127 daily shakhas, 1,389 weekly milans, and 60 monthly mandalis in Karnataka. It organised 2,194 Samajotsavas with nearly 20 lakh participants and conducted 562 route marches involving over two lakh uniformed participants across the state.

With such extensive public mobilisation, Kharge argued, the RSS “cannot be treated as a private or informal arrangement.” Its activities, he said, raise “legitimate questions about legal status, accountability, financial transparency, public order, permissions, funding sources and compliance with Indian laws.”

In the letter dated June 13, which was shared with the media on Monday, Kharge said, “We request the RSS to depute its authorised office bearers to explain the legal grounds on which an organisation of such magnitude continues to function without being formally registered as a legal entity or as a ‘body of individuals’ under applicable laws.”

He asked why the RSS should remain exempt when citizens, labour organisations, NGOs, trusts, temples and companies are expected to register, disclose and comply with the law.

“In this context, it is only fair and necessary that the RSS also places the following information in the public domain: its legal status and organisational structure, details of its office bearers and authorised representatives, sources of donations, contributions and income, and details of expenditure and assets,” the letter said.

He sought clarity on whether applicable taxes are being paid in accordance with law, the legal basis for its activities without formal registration, and the constitutional and statutory framework under which it operates at such a scale.

Kharge said that an organisation which regularly invokes nationalism, discipline and duty must also demonstrate these values through transparency, compliance and respect for the Constitution.

According to him, the RSS cannot expect citizens to follow rules while exempting itself from the same standards.

He appealed to Bhagwat for a formal response to his letter.

The Karnataka unit of the BJP was quick to react and suggested that in his enthusiasm as a first-time Home Minister, Kharge appeared to be attempting to win the approval of his leader, Rahul Gandhi.

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya told reporters that Kharge was not the first to question RSS's registration or audit. He said, “The Constitution of India grants every citizen the right to form organisations and associations. This right was not given by Priyank Kharge; it was given by Babasaheb Ambedkar.”

(With agency inputs)