'Why should Dalit be concerned with RSS?' Priyank Kharge slams BJP MP's remark

Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday launched a sharp counterattack against BJP MP Ramesh Jigajinagi, asserting that followers of B.R. Ambedkar fear no one, after the MP questioned why a Dalit minister should concern himself with the functioning of the RSS.

The exchange stems from Kharge's recent demand that the RSS clarify its legal status and disclose details about its funding, assets and organisational structure. Reacting to the move on Wednesday, 17 June, Jigajinagi had asked why a Dalit man should be concerned about the RSS and suggested that Kharge should focus on his ministerial responsibilities.

Responding on Thursday, Kharge said the BJP MP's remarks could be interpreted in several ways. He questioned whether Jigajinagi's comments reflected frustration at being denied entry into the RSS's inner circles despite belonging to the Dalit community, or whether they were intended as a warning.

"Is it a word of caution, advising Dalits not to associate with the RSS, which believes in the fundamentals of a hierarchical social order?" Kharge asked.

The minister further wondered whether the remarks implied that Dalits had no right to question the RSS, which he described as an organisation created to protect the interests of those who believe in social superiority. He also asked whether Jigajinagi's comments suggested that Dalits were incapable of bringing organisations such as the RSS within the framework of constitutional accountability.

Kharge took particular exception to Jigajinagi's remark that "no one who has taken on the RSS has survived".

"Did he say this out of fear of the RSS, or was it meant to intimidate me?" Kharge asked. "What does he mean when he says nobody survives? Is the RSS a terrorist organisation? Does it eliminate those who question it?"

The minister said his commitment to Ambedkar's ideals gave him the courage to challenge anyone. "I am a follower of Babasaheb's ideology. The courage to question and my intellectual conviction come from him. Those who believe in Babasaheb do not fear," Kharge said.

He added that he drew strength from the Constitution and had no reason to fear those who lacked constitutional legitimacy while benefiting from constitutional protections. "I fear only a lack of morality, not threats, because Ambedkar's blood runs in our veins," he said.

The controversy began earlier this week when Kharge wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, whose organisation is marking its centenary year, seeking clarity on its legal and organisational status. He argued that the RSS should be subject to the same standards of transparency and constitutional accountability expected of other public bodies.

The move drew criticism from Jigajinagi, who accused Kharge of overstepping his role as home minister. Addressing a press conference in Vijayapura, the BJP MP said Kharge appeared unaware of what issues a home minister should be raising.

"Is it his job to ask such questions about the RSS? People will tell him what the RSS is. Whoever came in the way of the RSS did not survive. He is unnecessarily picking up an issue with the RSS," Jigajinagi said. "My question is: why does this Dalit man need to be concerned about the RSS?"

Jigajinagi also suggested that Kharge had benefitted politically from the standing of his father, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. "Because his father has toiled hard for the party, an arrangement has been made for him. He should make a name for himself through public service. It does not suit him to run after the RSS," the BJP MP said.