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Kharge Ignites Storm: “Ban RSS Now” – Echoes Patel’s 1948 Crackdown
On Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, Congress chief accuses RSS of ‘poisoning’ India, demands immediate ban to restore law and order
Summary
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday made a explosive demand: ban the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Speaking on the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Kharge declared it his “personal opinion” that the RSS’s “poisonous ideology” is the root of India’s deteriorating law and order.
“If Prime Minister Modi truly respects Sardar Patel, he should ban the RSS today,” Kharge thundered, invoking Patel’s historic 1948 ban on the organisation following Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.
Kharge quoted directly from Patel’s February 4, 1948 letter to RSS leader Shyama Prasad Mukherjee:
“RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhiji’s death… the poisonous atmosphere created by them led to this tragedy. We had no option but to ban the RSS.”
He accused the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha of fostering hatred that culminated in Gandhi’s murder, and slammed the Modi government for lifting Patel-era restrictions in July 2024, allowing government employees to join RSS activities.
“Reverse this decision. All law and order failures stem from BJP-RSS,” Kharge demanded.
The BJP accused Congress of “selective amnesia,” claiming the party ignored Patel for decades while now using his name for political gain. “Congress insulted Patel by rejecting him as India’s first PM,” a senior BJP leader retorted.
Kharge countered by praising the Nehru-Patel partnership, dismissing Modi’s claims of rifts as “distortions of history.”
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