Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said Monday he has written to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking details on the organisation’s legal status, finances, office-bearers and tax compliance, escalating his demand that the century-old organisation register itself and disclose its operations.
Meanwhile, Bhagwat hit back, saying Kharge’s demand was politically motivated, and there was “nothing serious”, and accused the Karnataka Government of attempting to create confusion among the public.
In a letter dated June 13, Kharge noted that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh claims to have over 60,000 shakhas and crores of swayamsevaks across India and abroad. “It is precisely because of this scale, influence and reach that the RSS must be held to the highest standards of transparency, accountability and constitutional compliance,” he said.
The home minister also cited the 2025–26 annual report of the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), saying that the RSS has “a significant footprint in Karnataka, with 4,127 daily shakhas, 1,389 weekly milans and 60 monthly mandalis”.
Kharge noted that the organisation had reportedly conducted 2,194 Samajotsavas involving nearly 19.6 lakh participants and organised 562 route marches across the state, with over 2.21 lakh uniformed volunteers taking part.
“Taken together, these figures show a vast, disciplined and deeply embedded network operating across Karnataka through daily cadre-building, weekly and monthly outreach, mass public events and uniformed route marches,” he said.
“Such an extensive organisational presence, especially when it involves regular public mobilisation, uniformed route marches and large-scale social outreach, cannot be treated as a private or informal arrangement. It raises legitimate questions about legal status, accountability, financial transparency, public order, permissions, sources of funding and compliance with the Constitution and laws of India.”
“We therefore request the RSS to depute its authorised office bearers to explain the legal grounds on which an organisation of such magnitude continues to function with anonymity and without being formally registered as a legal entity or as a “body of individuals” under the applicable laws,” he added.
‘The best tribute’
The other details sought by the minister included the names of its office bearers and authorised representatives, sources of donations, contributions, and income, details of expenditure and assets, and information on whether applicable taxes are being paid in accordance with law.
He also sought “the legal basis on which organisation activities are conducted without formal registration”, “the constitutional and statutory framework under which it claims the right to operate at such scale without public accountability”, and “details of permissions, authorisations and compliance mechanisms for public events, route marches, mass gatherings and other organisational activities”.
“An organisation that regularly evokes nationalism, discipline and duty must also demonstrate these values through transparency, compliance and respect for the Constitution of India. The RSS cannot ask ordinary Indians to follow rules while exempting itself from the same standards. If workers, small associations, religious institutions, NGOs, trusts, companies and citizens are expected to register, disclose, audit and pay taxes, then the RSS too must set an example by abiding by the rules of the land,” he wrote.
“We therefore call upon the RSS to use the occasion of its centenary not merely for celebration, but for constitutional introspection. The best tribute it can pay to India in its 100th year is to register itself, disclose its activities and finances, pay all applicable taxes, and function as a transparent and accountable organisation within the framework of Indian law.”
‘Hindu Dharma is not registered’
When asked about the Karnataka Government’s letter, Bhagwat said he doesn’t “need to respond”.
“We are not secretive; we are working on open ground. We are calling people and telling them about us. This is politics, and all kinds of gimmicks are being tried. Let them do it. We are used to it. We faced all these things even 15 years after the Sangh’s formation. If they don’t ask questions, we feel something is amiss,” he said during an event in Kerala.
“The Sangh started in British times and started in a public place…. Hindu Dharma is not registered, and many other entities are not registered,” he added.
“For over 100 years, nobody told us to register. Our written constitution is with the government, which we submitted in the 1960s… The government accepted it.”
“They want to, in some way, hamper Sangh’s work and create doubts in the minds of people. That is no longer possible. They know us,” he said.
The communication to the RSS chief came even as the Home Department under Kharge mulled measures to register the organisation.
A week ago, following threats issued against him, the minister had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of employing RSS workers to intimidate him. He had also asked the BJP to advise the RSS to prepare documents for registration.
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge also sought “the legal basis" on which the RSS's
"activities are conducted without formal registration". (Facebook/File Photo) 
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