Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has said that, in his personal view, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) should be banned, invoking historical precedent and accusing the organisation of contributing to current law and order issues in the country. Mallikarjun Kharge renewed his attack on the Modi government’s 2024 decision to lift restrictions on government employees joining RSS activities, calling it a dangerous revival of forces harmful to the nation’s interests.
Mallikarjun Kharge Says RSS Should Be Banned
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Kharge recalled a 1948 letter written by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, which had expressed serious concerns about the RSS’s role in spreading communal tension. When asked directly whether he believed the RSS should be banned again, Kharge replied, “These are my personal views and I openly say that there should be one (a ban on the RSS). If the Prime Minister respects the views presented by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, this should be done. All the wrongs in the country and all law and order issues here are due to the BJP and RSS.”
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Using a vivid metaphor, he warned that resurrecting such ideologies was like “licking poison from a slain snake” — an act certain to bring destruction. Kharge argued that the Prime Minister’s decision risked undermining the country’s secular and democratic fabric.
Earlier this month, Kharge’s son and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge sparked a political row after writing to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging a ban on RSS activities in government institutions, including schools and colleges. The letter triggered a wider debate over the RSS’s presence in public spaces.