Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday questioned the legal status and accountability of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), asking under which law the organisation exists and in what legal capacity it functions.
Kharge's remarks came in response to BJP national general secretary B L Santosh, who on Saturday said the RSS did not require formal registration to establish its existence and had continued to function on the trust of millions of people.
Addressing an 'Akhand Bharat Sankalp Day' programme organised by the Hindu Jagarana Vedike, Santosh had claimed that the RSS had stood by Hindus during Partition and continued to function without formal registration.
Responding to Santosh in a post on X, Kharge said the question was not whether the RSS existed but whether it was legally accountable.
"Nobody is questioning whether the RSS exists. The question is: under what law does it exist and under what legal identity does it function?" Kharge said.
He questioned the organisation's legal status, ownership of its assets and the framework under which it receives and accounts for donations.
"If the RSS needs no registration to establish its existence, then tell the country: What exactly is its legal status? Who legally constitutes the RSS? Who owns its assets?" he asked.
Kharge also questioned in whose name the RSS's bank accounts are operated and under what framework its donations are received and accounted for. He asked where its audited accounts and statutory disclosures were.
The minister said an organisation with a century-long history and a significant national presence should be able to answer questions concerning its legal identity and financial accountability.
"'We exist' is not an answer to 'Who are you accountable to'. History cannot be a substitute for legal transparency," he said.
Kharge argued that greater public influence should bring greater transparency in a constitutional democracy.
"Nobody doubts that the RSS exists. The question is why an organisation that claims to shape the destiny of Bharath is so reluctant to clearly establish its legal identity and public accountability," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)