Minister Priyank Kharge questions RSS donation practices, transparency

Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday questioned the manner in which the RSS receives donations and sought further clarifications on funding practices.

In a post on ‘X’, Kharge responded to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that the outfit runs entirely on contributions from its volunteers.

“Mr Bhagwat has stated that the RSS functions through donations made by its volunteers. However, several legitimate questions arise regarding this claim,” the Minister, who is son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, said.

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He asked who these volunteers are and how they are identified, what the scale and nature of their donations are, and through what channels the money is collected.

“If the RSS operates transparently, why are donations not made directly to the organisation under its own registered identity?” the Minister questioned.

He sought to know how the RSS sustained its financial and organisational structure without being a formally registered entity.

The minister also enquired who compensates full-time pracharaks and meets the organisation’s routine operational expenses and how large-scale events, campaigns and outreach activities are funded.

He raised the issue of swayamsevaks purchasing uniforms or materials from “local offices”, asking where funds are accounted for and who bears the cost of maintaining local offices and other infrastructure.

The Minister mentioned that these questions underscore a fundamental issue of transparency and accountability.

“Why does the RSS continue to remain unregistered despite its vast national presence and influence?” the Minister wondered.

“When every religious or charitable institution in India is required to maintain financial transparency, what justifies the absence of similar accountability mechanisms for the RSS?”

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had on Sunday said his organisation is recognised as a body of individuals.

“RSS was established in 1925, so do you expect us to have registered with the British government?” Bhagwat asked while replying to a question during an in-house question and answer session organised by the RSS.

He added that after the independence, Government of India did not make registration compulsor

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