Bengaluru, Oct 21 Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday urged the RSS to obtain formal permission for its route marches, saying it must comply with the law like any other organisation.
He said the police were not at the RSS’s beck and call and could not be expected to simply follow its instructions.
“The police department is not RSS’s servant. You cannot simply inform us that you are coming, tell us to make the necessary arrangements and announce that you will be leaving immediately,” he told reporters here.
“The same law applies to everyone, including the RSS. The RSS is not above the law or the Constitution,” the minister said, adding that the government would not deny permission if a proposal was found appropriate.
His remarks came a day after he urged the RSS, in a post on X, to follow the prescribed procedure and await formal approval from the competent authorities before holding route marches.
Citing the RSS’s annual report for 2025-26, Priyank said the organisation had conducted 562 route marches across Karnataka, involving 2,21,963 uniformed participants.
He said organising simultaneous marches involving large numbers of people required considerable police deployment, traffic management, security arrangements and other logistical preparations.
“If there are any problems with the march route, we have told them that they can work out a shorter route locally. But they should learn to respect the police department and the government,” he said.
Responding to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks on regime change, Priyank alleged that the Election Commission and electoral processes had been compromised and questioned whether free and fair elections could be expected under the circumstances.
“They have captured the Election Commission, the Election Commissioner, the voter lists, Form-6 and Form-7. Do you expect free and fair elections to take place in India under these circumstances?” he asked.
Alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Priyank claimed that pre-filled Form-7 applications seeking the deletion of names were available in bulk.
“Why does the Chief Election Commissioner need judicial immunity? What is happening with Form-7? What is happening with Form-6?” he asked, alleging that the process was aimed at ensuring the ruling establishment remained in power.
The minister also questioned the RSS’s claim of being a cultural organisation, arguing that its comments on politics, the economy, defence and foreign policy were political in nature.
“Let them drop this false pretence of being a cultural organisation, register themselves and come out openly as a political outfit,” he said, asking who had authorised the organisation to comment on regime change and political affairs.
Responding to Bhagwat’s remarks that protests should have a clear purpose, Priyank questioned the RSS’s history and alleged that its leaders had collaborated with the British.
“Are we supposed to learn from people who took a pension of Rs 60 from the British?” he asked.
Rejecting comparisons between protests in India and those in countries such as France, Priyank said the issues prompting the demonstrations were different. While protests in France concerned price rises, economic inequality and education, those in India were directed against the Election Commission, he added.
The minister criticised the government’s proposed approach to delimitation, alleging that an earlier Bill introduced in Parliament was aimed at gaining control over the Delimitation Commission, a constitutional body.
He further alleged that the government wanted to redraw constituency boundaries based on voting demographics and cited Assam as an example.
(PTI News)
