Priyank Kharge asks Bhagwat to explain legal status.
Priyank seeks RSS explanation on legal basis of functioning.
Bengaluru — Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has formally asked Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat to explain the organisation’s legal status and the “sources of donations, contributions and income.”
In a letter to Dr. Bhagwat, Priyank Kharge requested that the RSS send authorised office-bearers to provide a formal explanation of the legal basis on which the organisation operates. The letter lists eight specific points Kharge wants made public.
Those points include the RSS’s legal status, an official list of its office-bearers and authorised representatives, and full disclosure of sources of income. Kharge also asked for details of the organisation’s expenditure and assets, and whether the RSS is meeting its tax obligations.
The home minister further sought clarity on whether the RSS receives foreign funding, and if so, the nature and channels of those inflows. He asked for documentation showing how donations are solicited and processed, and requested copies of registration certificates, financial statements and tax filings that support the RSS’s declared legal and financial position.
Kharge’s move comes amid renewed public scrutiny of the finances and regulatory compliance of large socio-political organisations. While the RSS is a long-established volunteer organisation with extensive national presence and influence, questions about transparency and the application of legal and tax frameworks to such bodies have periodically surfaced in public debate.
The letter asks the RSS to respond within a specified timeframe and to nominate representatives empowered to provide the requested information and answer follow-up questions in person, if required. Officials in the Karnataka government said the aim is to ensure clarity about the organisation’s status and to confirm compliance with relevant laws.
The RSS did not immediately issue a detailed response to the home minister’s letter. Observers say the request could prompt an internal review within the organisation or lead to a public statement clarifying its legal and financial position. The matter is likely to attract attention across political and civic circles given the RSS’s significant role in social and political life in India.