Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has said he will not respond to Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge’s open letter asking the organisation to register itself and disclose details about its funding, finances and operations.
Calling the demand political in nature, Bhagwat said, “It is just politics… all these gimmicks are being made. We are used to it. If they don’t happen, we feel something is amiss.”
He added that the RSS functions openly and is not a secret organisation. “We are not secretive. We work in open grounds. We call people and tell them what we do,” he said during an RSS centenary outreach event.
“Many organisations are unregistered,” says RSS chief
Bhagwat defended the organisation’s legal status, arguing that registration is not required in several cases.
“There are so many unregistered things going on… the Hindu religion is not registered, many things are not registered,” he said.
He further said that organisations seeking government funding typically require registration, but RSS does not receive such funding. According to him, the government is already aware of the organisation’s existence and activities.
“The government knows it is there. We were banned twice, and both times the bans were lifted. That itself shows the government knew RSS existed,” he said.
Reference to history and legal status
Bhagwat also pointed out that the RSS was founded in 1925 during British rule and could not have registered under colonial laws. He said the organisation later submitted its written constitution to the government in the 1950s.
“Over 100 years, nobody told us that you must register,” he said, adding that courts and tax authorities have treated the RSS as a “body of individuals” and granted it income tax exemptions.
He reiterated that RSS activities are conducted publicly, with shakhas held in open spaces and volunteers active in communities across the country.
Kharge’s allegations and demand for transparency
The controversy began after Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, asking the organisation to clarify its legal status, registration details, funding sources, income, expenditure and assets.
Kharge argued that an organisation claiming such a large presence—reportedly over 60,000 shakhas and millions of swayamsevaks—must be subject to constitutional accountability and transparency.
He also pointed to RSS activities in Karnataka, including daily shakhas, weekly gatherings, public events and route marches, saying that such large-scale mobilisation requires formal legal oversight.
Kharge said that if NGOs, companies, religious bodies and other associations must register and disclose financial details, the RSS should not be exempt.
“Politics and confusion,” says Bhagwat
Responding to the letter, Bhagwat dismissed the allegations, saying such demands are aimed at creating confusion among people.
“They want to hamper Sangh work and create doubts in the minds of people. But that is not possible anymore because people know us,” he said.
He also said RSS workers are visible in every locality and the organisation functions through voluntary participation and donations.
