Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said he has received threatening and abusive phone calls after urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to ban RSS shakhas from operating on government-owned properties and educational institutions.
Despite the backlash, Kharge said he is “neither shaken nor surprised,” asserting that he will continue opposing the use of public institutions for ideological activities.
Kharge clarified that his suggestion was not to ban the RSS itself but only its activities in state-run spaces; opposition leaders have accused him of politicizing the issue.
Karnataka Minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge has claimed he has received threatening and abusive phone calls in response to his recent demand that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) be restricted from holding activities in government-run institutions and public property.
Kharge said the harassment began shortly after he wrote a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging a ban on RSS shakhas in schools, colleges, playgrounds, and government-owned lands. He alleged that his phone “hasn’t stopped ringing for the past two days” with calls “filled with threats, intimidation and the filthiest abuse” directed at him and his family.
Speaking publicly, Kharge asserted that he was “neither shaken nor surprised” by the backlash, drawing parallels to past attacks on figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar. He said the threats would not deter him and reiterated his stance against the RSS using state institutions to promote ideology. “If they think threats and personal jibes will silence me, they are mistaken,” he stated.
Kharge clarified that his message was not a call to ban the RSS organization itself, but specifically its activities within government spaces. He argued that using public institutions to conduct ideological training undermines the secular nature of education and public life. Opposition leaders have criticized his remarks, while some BJP voices accused him of political maneuvering.
.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&format=webp&w=376&dpr=2.0)
