Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has once again found himself at the centre of a political storm after raising concerns over the presence of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activities in government schools and colleges.
“Let BJP leaders’ children wear RSS uniform and drink ‘Gau Mutra’ in public, then I will stop talking,” Priyanka said on Friday.
Last week, the minister of electronics, IT/BT, and rural development wrote to chief minister Siddaramaiah, urging him to take decisive action to regulate RSS activities on government premises, calling them a threat to the secular ethos of India and the unity envisaged under the Constitution.
Priyanka said he and his family had been receiving threatening phone calls since he questioned RSS activities in educational institutions. “
For the past two days, my phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Calls filled with threats, intimidation and the filthiest abuse directed at me and my family, simply because I dared to question and restrain RSS activities in government institutions,” he wrote on X on Tuesday.
The minister, son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, asserted he was neither “shaken nor surprised” by the threats, citing historical instances of violence perpetrated by the RSS against figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar. He added: “If they think threats and personal jibes will silence me, they are mistaken. This has just begun.”
Kharge emphasised that his fight was not against individuals but against the “dirty mentality spread by RSS” that he claims is brainwashing children and youth. He called for exposing students to the teachings of Buddha, Basavanna, and Ambedkar to counter divisive ideologies. “I will fight and take firm steps to prevent innocent children and youth from falling prey to such a polluted system,” he stated.
Following Kharge’s letter, Siddaramaiah reportedly instructed the chief secretary to examine how similar concerns regarding RSS activities had been addressed in Tamil Nadu, signalling that the state government may consider policy interventions.
Kharge also highlighted what he sees as a class dimension to the issue, suggesting that children of BJP leaders enjoy privileges while the children of poorer families are used to “abuse and intimidate” those who question RSS activities.
On Monday, Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra accused him of “displaying his foolishness” and seeking a “gimmick” through a letter that Congress has no power to enforce. In a post on X, Vijayendra added, “Chorus and chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, resonated by both the young and the old from RSS shakhas, seem to have unnerved those used to hearing ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans!”
The issue drew attention from other states as well.
Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma questioned Priyank’s rationale, asking, “On what basis are such things being said?”
The controversy is expected to intensify as Karnataka heads into an election year, with the Minister’s outspoken remarks keeping the spotlight on the intersection of politics, education, and ideological influence.
