New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reignited political debate on Friday by demanding a fresh ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), invoking Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s past decision to restrict government employees from participating in its activities. Speaking at a press conference on Patel’s birth anniversary, observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, Kharge said the RSS spreads a divisive ideology and likened its influence to “poison.”
“My personal opinion is that the RSS should be banned,” he stated, urging the government to reinstate restrictions that were lifted in July 2024. Kharge recalled that Patel had prohibited the participation of government employees in both the RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami during his tenure as Home Minister, citing concerns over their political and communal roles.
He also referred to Patel’s 1948 correspondence following Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, alleging that the RSS had celebrated the tragedy. “Patel wrote that the RSS distributed sweets after Gandhi’s death, which left the government with no other choice but to impose a ban,” Kharge said. He added that Patel’s reports had linked the atmosphere created by the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha to Gandhi’s killing.
The BJP swiftly hit back, accusing the Congress of political opportunism. Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the Congress ignored Patel’s legacy for decades but now invokes his name to attack the RSS. “Despite all their efforts, the court lifted the ban on the RSS, recognizing it as a non-political organisation. Congress is intolerant towards those working for national unity while aligning with divisive forces,” he said.
The exchange follows recent tensions between the Congress-led Karnataka government and the BJP over curbs on state employees attending RSS events. The controversy adds another chapter to the long-running ideological clash between the two parties over Patel’s legacy and the role of the RSS in public life.
