14/10/2025
“Threat calls and abuse pour in”: Priyank Kharge targeted over remarks on RSS; urges government to root out ‘dangerous virus’
Bengaluru: Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge has said he has been receiving threat calls and abusive messages after demanding a ban on RSS activities in government schools, colleges, and public institutions.
In a post on X, Kharge wrote that his phone had been “ringing nonstop” with threats and abuse directed at him and his family for questioning RSS activities. “I’m neither shaken nor surprised. When the RSS didn’t spare Mahatma Gandhi or Babasaheb Ambedkar, why would they spare me?” he said.
Reiterating his stand, Kharge urged the government to “eliminate the most dangerous virus” and called for a society built on the teachings of Buddha, Basavanna, and Ambedkar — based on equality, reason, and compassion.
Earlier, Kharge had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, seeking a ban on RSS shakhas and activities in government and government-aided institutions, public parks, playgrounds, and temples. He alleged that RSS members were conducting drills with sticks and spreading divisive ideas among students without police permission.
Kharge argued that the RSS ideology was against India’s secular and constitutional values, while BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the demand as a publicity stunt, recalling that Indira Gandhi had “paid the price” for similar actions.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed officials to study Tamil Nadu’s example, where RSS activities in government spaces have already been restricted, before deciding on Karnataka’s response.
