BENGALURU: “No one can ban RSS; if you interfere with RSS, you will suffer and pay a heavy price,’’ warned former DCM KS Eshwarappa on Friday.
Speaking at a function seeking to ensure ST status for the Kuruba community, the former BJP leader said the government seeking to regulate RSS presence in government spaces is not right. He said banning RSS activities in public places can lead to their own destruction. He said the tallest leaders who banned RSS in the country are nowhere to be seen, but the RSS continues to live on.
Eshwarappa said the RSS has helped the nation through many crises, adding that the Sangh helped save lives by serving people on the streets, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added that the RSS is essentially a cultural and social organisation, which helps spread harmony by instilling discipline and patriotism. He stated that no RSS worker or functionary can indulge in activities harmful to national interest and banning the Sangh’s activities could lead to the downfall of Congress leaders.
Separately, he said the Congress’ guarantees are a mirage, and the actual problems of the people have not been addressed.
BJP MLC Adagur Vishwanath said the Kurubas are categorised as ST in Kodagu district for more than a century, and Kodagu\Coorg was originally a separate state before it was merged with Karnataka. He said the Kurubas are an aboriginal tribe and the government needs to remove administrative restrictions, and accord ST status to the community across the state.
Now, the Kurubas claim they are numerically about 7-8 per cent of the population in the state, and are in the most-backward 2A OBC list. If the state government agrees to include Kurubas in the ST category, the Scheduled Tribe numbers in Karnataka will increase substantially.
