Congress slams RSS over secret funding, calls it unregistered, unaccountable
Bengaluru: Senior Congress leaders in India have questioned the financial transparency of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of evading legal scrutiny by remaining unregistered for decades.
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge and senior Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad, in separate remarks, demanded that the RSS disclose the sources of its massive funding, alleging that the organisation continues to operate without registration to avoid government oversight, tax compliance, and financial accountability.
Priyank Kharge challenged the RSS to produce proof of its registration. “Throw the RSS registration on my face saying that it is a registered organisation. There ends the matter,” he said, questioning, “Where is the money coming from to build buildings, conduct marches, buy uniforms, drums, and other paraphernalia if it is not a registered entity?”
Kharge said he had already written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging restrictions on RSS activities in public spaces and disciplinary action against government employees associated with the group. He asserted that the RSS deliberately stays unregistered to avoid paying taxes and disclosing details of domestic and foreign donations.
Echoing similar concerns, B.K. Hariprasad accused the RSS of systematically evading public and legal scrutiny. “The Congress and the BJP are registered political organisations. Where is the RSS registered? If it is not, how can anyone question the source of its funding?” he asked.
He further alleged that the RSS raises unaccounted money under the guise of “Guru Dakshina” donations during festivals like Vijayadashami. “They have built a Rs 700 crore building. Where did the money come from? Has the Enforcement Directorate or Income Tax Department ever raided it?” Hariprasad asked, calling the organisation’s operations “illegal and opaque.”
Meanwhile, BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan defended the RSS, claiming it was a “voluntary organisation working for social and cultural upliftment” and that there was “no need for every organisation to be registered.”
