Priyank Kharge, Mahadevappa invoke Ambedkar, Patel to flay RSS

Bengaluru: Ministers Priyank Kharge and Dr H C Mahadevappa on Sunday strongly criticised the RSS in their posts on X, accusing it of being rooted in “Nazism and Manusmriti‑based cruelties fuelled by communal hatred and caste hierarchy”.

Kharge urged all Indians to pledge that “not even the breeze that has touched the RSS should affect us,” calling this vital to building an “enlightened and prosperous India”.

He described the RSS as a “poisonous organisation” and an enemy of the Constitution, unity, national flag, national anthem and the country’s sovereignty.

Invoking warnings from Dr B R Ambedkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Kharge said their messages about RSS must be taken seriously and that followers of Manusmriti should be kept at bay.

He alleged that the RSS had once allied with the British and continued “anti-unity activities” after independence. Kharge recalled Sardar Patel’s 1948 ban on RSS, quoting Patel’s proclamation to uproot “forces of hate and violence” threatening India’s freedom and name.

Kharge accused the RSS of hypocrisy, claiming it only professed loyalty to the Constitution and flag to get the ban on it lifted, but continued anti-constitutional actions.

H C Mahadevappa

He challenged supporters to name even 10 positive contributions by the RSS in the past century, insisting it is a threat, not a help.

Kharge concluded that the RSS disrespects the Constitution, flag, women and marginalised communities, calling it “the supreme enemy of this country’s unity”.

Mahadevappa echoed Ambedkar’s critique of the RSS’s casteist ideology, quoting Ambedkar’s criticism of those who worship animals as Gods, but deny fellow humans basic dignity. He warned that these casteist social divisions persist even today.