Congress needs no 'patriotism certificate' from RSS, BJP: Kharge

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has launched a sharp attack on the RSS, BJP and ABVP, saying the Congress does not need to seek their validation on patriotism, particularly from organisations which did not contribute to India's freedom struggle.

Kharge made the remarks at a press conference in Bengaluru after demands emerged for FIRs against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over an alleged disruption during the singing of Vande Mataram on Independence Day. He accused the BJP of turning national symbols, including the national anthem and national song, into political weapons and said Congress would not be intimidated by further cases.

Kharge also revived criticism of the RSS's role in India's freedom movement, alleging that the organisation's ideological predecessors did not raise the national flag for 52 years. He argued that Congress did not need a patriotism certificate from groups he said had contributed little to the country's independence.

Turning to the controversy surrounding UGC-NET, Kharge criticised the Centre over the decision to conduct the examination again after widespread student protests. He said replacing former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan with Pralhad Joshi had produced no meaningful improvement and questioned the competence of both ministers.

He further accused the RSS of exerting growing influence over institutions and linked the organisation to concerns about irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET question paper leak. Kharge alleged that the RSS was influencing people and attempting to reshape their thinking.

Responding to Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah's description of the RSS as a thousand-headed poisonous snake, Kharge said its influence was even broader. He accused the organisation of spreading dissatisfaction and communal divisions and argued that its contribution to nation-building was negligible compared with the problems he said it had created.