Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has written an open letter to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Citing extensive figures about the RSS’s diverse activities, he questioned how an organisation conducting public activities on such a large and regular scale could be described as a private or informal entity. Since the RSS is not registered anywhere in official government records, questions arise regarding its legal status, financial transparency, tax accountability, and compliance with laws.
Kharge has asked the RSS to publicly release the following information: sources of donations, contributions and income; details of expenditure and assets; and whether applicable taxes are paid in accordance with the law.“An organisation that regularly evokes nationalism, discipline and duty must also demonstrate these values through transparency, compliance and respect for the Constitution of India. The RSS cannot ask ordinary Indians to follow rules while exempting itself from the same standards. If workers, small associations, religious institutions, NGOs, trusts, companies and citizens are expected to register, disclose, audit and pay taxes, then the RSS too must set an example by abiding by the rules of the land,” Kharge wrote in his letter to Bhagwat.
