'Hinduism isn’t registered, neither is RSS': Bhagwat tells Kharge

New Delhi: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has rejected calls for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to register as an organisation and publicly disclose its financial details, responding to Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge’s demand for greater transparency and constitutional accountability.

Bhagwat argued that registration is not mandatory for organisations that do not seek government funding and maintained that the RSS does not receive state assistance. He said there are several institutions and social bodies in the country that function without registration and contended that the RSS falls within that category.

The RSS chief dismissed the demand as politically motivated and aimed at creating suspicion about the organisation among the public. He maintained that the RSS does not function in secrecy, pointing out that its shakhas and meetings are conducted openly and that its activities are well known to the public and government authorities.

Bhagwat also stated that the organisation has been active in the country for nearly a century and has never previously been required to register. He added that the RSS emerged during the British era with public support and that its constitution had already been submitted to the government decades ago.

The remarks came after Priyank Kharge urged the RSS to register formally and disclose details regarding its finances, funding sources and tax-related information. Kharge argued that the same legal standards applicable to citizens, trusts, temples and companies should also apply to the RSS.

The Karnataka minister further asserted that no organisation, regardless of its size or influence, should be exempt from constitutional scrutiny and accountability in a democratic system.