Priyank Kharge and BJP spar over RSS and regional disparity

Bengaluru: The BJP on Monday launched a sharp attack on Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge over his criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), escalating a political slugfest over ideology and regional development.

Speaking at a book release event on Sunday, Priyank had said, “Without RSS, BJP is weaker than the JDS. If RSS is the ghost, BJP is the shadow and we are fighting the shadow. The country will progress if we directly fight the ghost.”

He also said the RSS could no longer remain “unregistered” and that he would make them register, while questioning its practice of “Guru Dakshina” and seeking transparency in funding.

The Chittapur (Gulbarga) MLA had last October written to chief minister Siddaramaiah seeking restrictions on RSS ‘shaakha’ activities in government premises.

Hitting back, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said Priyank was targeting RSS for “cheap publicity” and questioned his contribution to the development of Kalyana Karnataka.

“Before worrying about the registration of others, you should first ensure that the registration of the Congress, a party headed by your father and standing on the verge of losing its political relevance, is not cancelled. RSS is like Lord Shiva, swallowing poisonous barbs to bring out nectar. It cannot be shaken by petty, venomous anti-Hindu elements,” said Vijayendra who likened the Congress to the invasive weed “parthenium” that people in Karnataka would remove in 2028.

The row widened after Priyank said IT-BT firms were “scared” to invest in coastal Karnataka fearing communalism. Vijayendra retorted that all taluks of Kalaburagi were listed “most backward” in the Dr Govind Rao Committee report and asked why IT-BT companies had skipped the region.

“Kalyana Karnataka is a backward region. If BJP understood the historical reasons for the regional imbalance, it would not have opposed special status under Article 371J. Also, your father (Yediyurappa) was a four-time chief minister. Why was Shivamogga not transformed into Singapore?,” Priyank sought to know.

Priyank countered that Dakshina Kannada has “immense talent” and said the government was committed to making the coast “an economic accelerator.

He also alleged the BJP had turned into a “laboratory of communal politics” and the Congress government had set up the anti-communal task force to curb clashes.