Kharge Calls For Ban On RSS, Accuses Modi Of Insulting Patel’s Legacy

In a fiery press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded the banning of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), claiming it was responsible for most law and order problems in India. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of disrespecting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by lifting the ban on government employees associating with the RSS, and criticized Modi’s remarks on Patel’s birth anniversary, observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

Kharge’s comments came in response to Modi’s speech where the Prime Minister attacked the Congress, citing Patel’s desire to integrate Kashmir into India, which he alleged Nehru thwarted. Modi also accused the Congress of inheriting a “slave mentality” from British rule. Kharge hit back sharply, defending Patel’s legacy and questioning the government’s actions.

“It is my personal opinion and I will say it openly, it should be done,” Kharge stated when asked about banning the RSS. “Most issues and law and order problems were all arising because of the BJP-RSS.” He emphasized that Patel’s warnings about the RSS should be heeded by Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Kharge recalled Patel’s 1948 letter to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, where the then-Home Minister detailed the RSS’s role in creating an atmosphere leading to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. “On Gandhiji’s death, the RSS members expressed such joy and distributed sweets, which further intensified the opposition. In these circumstances, the government had no choice but to take steps against the RSS,” Kharge quoted from the letter.

He added, “While writing this letter to Mookerjee, he said — the report proves that the atmosphere created in the country due to the activities of the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha is what led to Gandhiji’s assassination.” Kharge argued that Patel, who banned the RSS, would be appalled by the current government’s reversal. “When Patel himself had banned the RSS, ‘then naturally he is disrespecting our Vallabhbhai Patel ji, who himself gave all the reasons why he banned the RSS and there is no ambiguity’,” he said.

Kharge praised Patel as a unifier. “Patel wanted to bring in unity and peace and he fought for it. ‘But after bringing unity in the country, anyone who tries to break that unity should be taught a lesson. And, you know who are those people who are breaking that unity,’” he remarked, implying the RSS-BJP. He warned that reviving old divisions was dangerous. “I clearly feel that something which had ended, this government has revived that and these people will be responsible for whatever happens in the country.”

He continued, “Till 2024 nothing had happened, and now that it was not good for the country to once again ‘awaken the people’. ‘This is not good for the country and it is like tasting poison, whose result is certain death. There is no need to taste poison once again. The things being done by Modi ji are not good for the country,’” Kharge asserted.

On the day marking Patel’s birth anniversary and Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary, Kharge paid tributes to both leaders. “These two great leaders — ‘iron man’ and ‘iron lady’ — made a big contribution to the country and strove to maintain unity. This is the history of the Congress and its contribution,” he said. He noted that Patel was a source of inspiration, describing him as “the great Iron Man of India” who wove the nation into unity.

Kharge addressed attempts to portray rifts between Nehru and Patel. “They always tried to portray a rift between India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Patel when they had great ties and both had praised each other,” he explained. Nehru hailed Patel for shaping India’s unity, and Patel called Nehru an ideal for the country.

Kharge’s statements have intensified political rhetoric ahead of upcoming elections, highlighting deep divisions over India’s founding principles. Critics argue that Kharge’s call for an RSS ban echoes historical debates, while supporters see it as a defense of secularism. The Congress leader’s emphasis on Patel’s warnings underscores ongoing concerns about communal harmony.

In his view, the government’s policies are reviving divisive forces. “The things being done by Modi ji are not good for the country,” Kharge reiterated, urging a return to unity. As India commemorates Patel, Kharge’s remarks remind one of the iron man’s commitment to integration, contrasting with current political narratives.