Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President B.K. Hariprasad on Monday (August 17, 2026) compared the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to international terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Taliban while targeting them over patriotism and legal registration status.

Addressing a press conference here, Hariprasad said, “There is no difference between Jaish-e-Mohammed, Taliban, and RSS because all three are not registered in India.”

On Keralam VC Mohanan Kunnummal's remarks regarding the Vande Mataram controversy, the KPCC president said, “...He has rightly directed this at the RSS because they never sing Vande Mataram, nor do they sing the national anthem or hoist the tricolour flag...”

The remarks follow an FIR filed against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi alleging disruption during the rendition of Vande Mataram, alongside recent remarks by Kerala VC Mohanan Kunnummal at an RSS gathering criticising those who oppose the national song.

Priyank Kharge’s stance

Hariprasad's comments reinforce Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge's recent demand for the RSS to publicly clarify under which Indian laws it holds property, bank accounts, and receives donations.

The row over RSS registration flared after BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh said at a Hindu Jagarana Vedike 'Akhand Bharat Sankalp Day' event that the Sangh does not need legal registration. Santhosh argued the RSS has operated since 1925 without statutory status, and that public trust, not paperwork, defines an organisation. He added that the RSS stood with the nation during Partition and other crises without state certification.

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge hit back on X, shifting the focus to accountability. He asked five key questions: Under what law does RSS exist?; Who owns its nationwide properties? Unregistered bodies can't hold assets directly.; In whose name are accounts run and donations like Gurudakshina received? and Where are audited accounts and tax filings?

“History cannot be a substitute for legal transparency,” Kharge said as influence grows, public accountability must grow too.

Published - August 17, 2026 02:51 pm IST