Kharge Demands RSS Ban: Citing Sardar Patel's Historical Restrictions on Government Employees

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has reiterated that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) should be banned in the country, stating that even Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had banned the participation of government employees in RSS's activities. The ban was lifted by the BJP government in 2024; it must be reinstated, he demanded.

"My personal opinion is that RSS should be banned," Kharge said at a press conference on Friday, comparing the RSS's ideology with "poison."

The BJP has criticized the Congress for invoking Patel to attack the RSS after "ignoring" his contributions for decades.

"Sardar Patel also said that one should not work for the RSS while in government service. He had banned government employees from participating in the activities of the RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami, which the Modi government lifted on July 9, 2024. We demand that this ban be reinstated," said Kharge.

The Congress government in Karnataka, Kharge's home state, has been in conflict with the BJP recently over restrictions on government employees participating in RSS rallies, the ideological parent of the BJP.

Vallabhbhai Patel is a prominent figure in India's freedom movement. As India's first Home Minister, he is credited with unifying the country after Independence by integrating the princely states into the Indian dominion. Today marks Sardar Patel's birth anniversary, celebrated nationwide as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

Kharge justified the 1948 ban on the right-wing group by mentioning that Patel had written in a letter that the RSS celebrated Mahatma Gandhi's death.

"Sardar Patel united the country. Jawaharlal Nehru believed that Sardar Patel's contribution was immense. On February 4, 1948, Sardar Patel wrote in a letter about the RSS: 'The RSS celebrated Gandhiji's death and distributed sweets.' After this, the government had no other option," the Congress chief asserted.

Kharge stated that, according to reports received by Patel, the atmosphere created in the country due to the ideology of the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha was responsible for Gandhi's assassination.

In response, the BJP accused Congress of ignoring Patel for over 50 years and diminishing his contributions. They claimed Congress never followed Patel's footsteps and are now using his name to oppose the RSS, asserted BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla.

"INC is not the Indian National Congress. It stands for Indian Nazi Congress. Despite all their conspiracies, the court lifted the ban on the RSS. They said RSS was a non-political organisation and government employees can take part in their activities. But the Congress is so intolerant that they stand with the rioters of PFI, SDPI, and MIM but spew venom against RSS, which is working for the country's welfare," he said.