Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has asked the RSS to register itself, clarify its legal status, and disclose its sources of funding, income, expenditure, and assets, arguing that it must uphold transparency and constitutional accountability.
Marking the RSS's 100th anniversary, the minister wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking clarification on its organisational status and requested that the organisation depute its authorised office bearers to explain the legal grounds on which it continues to function without being formally registered.
Priyank Kharge pointed out that the RSS has an extensive organisational presence involving public mobilisation, uniformed route marches, and large-scale outreach, and that its activities raise legitimate questions about legal status, accountability, financial transparency, public order, permissions, funding sources, and compliance with Indian laws.
The minister sought clarity on whether applicable taxes are being paid in accordance with law, the legal basis for its activities without formal registration, and the constitutional and statutory framework under which it operates at such a scale.
Priyank Kharge further sought details of permissions, authorisations, and compliance mechanisms for public events, route marches, mass gatherings, and other organised activities, and appealed to Bhagwat for a formal response to his letter.
