Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge demands ban on RSS, falsely claims that the Hindu organisation is responsible for most law and order issues in India

Mallikarjun Kharge called for banning the RSS.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge (ANI)

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday (31st October) called for a ban on the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS), blaming the organisation for most law and order problems in the country. Kharge hit back at Prime Minister Modi after he slammed the Congress Party in his address during the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. PM Modi criticised the Congress Party for not following the vision of Patel, who was also a Congress leader, of uniting India.

Kharge’s comments came during a press briefing in Delhi, in which he accused PM Modi of disrespecting Patel by allowing government employees to be associated with the RSS. Kharge was referring to a government order from last year that lifted the ban that prohibited government employees from taking part in RSS activities. The Congress President pointed out how the RSS was banned after Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s assassination on suspicion of being involved in the assassination, while Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the Union Home Minister.

The Rajya Sabha MP demanded the withdrawal of the government order, dated July 9, 2024, which allowed government employees to be associated with the organisation. He said that if anything wrong happened as a result of lifting the ban on government employees, the BJP government would be responsible. “This is not good for the country, and it is like tasting poison, whose result is certain death. There is no need to taste poison once again. The things Modi ji does are not good for the country,” he said.

On the question of whether he sought the banning of the RSS itself, Kharge said that in his personal opinion, he wanted the organisation to be banned, alleging that the BJP-RSS were responsible for all the law and order issues in the country. “These are my personal views, and I openly say that there should be one (a ban on the RSS). If the PM respects the views presented by Vallabhbhai Patel, this should be done. All the wrongs in the country and all law and order issues here are due to the BJP and RSS,” Kharge said. “Patel had banned the RSS in the aftermath of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. Anyone who tries to break that unity should be taught a lesson. And, you know who are those people who are breaking that unity,” added the Congress President.

BJP slams Kharge for his demand to ban the RSS

Taking a dig at Kharge for his demand to ban the RSS, Karnataka Legislative Council LoP & BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, said that the demand was originally made by Kharge’s son and Karnataka Minister, Priyank Mallikarjun Kharge. Narayanaswamy said that no Congres politician supported Priyank Kharge’s demand and therefore, Mallikarjun Kharge decided to support his son.

“When his son started this movement advocating ban on RSS, no one from Congress or even the public supported, which is why he started supporting his son himself… Nobody can do anything to ban RSS,” said Narayanaswamy.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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