Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said today that he would “not respond” to Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge’s open letter that urges the organisation to register itself and disclose financial and other details. “It is just politics… all these gimmicks are being made to those who are used to it,” he said. “We had to face all these things. We are used to it. If they don’t happen, we feel something is amiss,” he added.
The Sangh, Bhagwat said, works openly and is not secretive. “There are so many unregistered things going on… The Hindu religion is not registered, many things are not registered,” he said.
Registration is needed only by those who want to have funds from the government, Bhagwat said. But in case of the RSS, the government knows it is “there”.
The Sangh, he said, started in British times as public will. “The government banned us twice, and that ban was released-once by court order, another by Satyagraha. So, government knows. They banned RSS, that means they knew RSS is there. RSS is recognised… Over 100 years, nobody told us that you must register. Our constitution, written constitution, is with the government. We have submitted it in 1950s,” he added.
As the RSS completes 100 years, Kharge, in an open letter, had said, “An organisation that claims over 60,000 shakhas and crores of swayamsevaks must also uphold transparency and constitutional accountability”.
Dear Shri Mohan Bhagwat ji,
My letter will reach you shortly. However, I thought it was important to draw your attention to this matter early.
——————————-Firstly, congratulations to the RSS on completing 100 years.
An organisation that claims over 60,000 shakhas and crores of… pic.twitter.com/IZy4oeKdMp
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) June 15, 2026
“If citizens, labour, NGOs, trusts, temples and companies are expected to register, disclose and comply with the law, why should the RSS remain exempt?” the minister said in a post on social media platform X, where he posted the letter.
“In its centenary year, the RSS must responsibly abide by the Constitution and register, disclose, pay applicable taxes and function transparently within the Constitution,” he added.
Kharge said the highest and most important decision-making body of the RSS, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, in its 2025-26 report on Karnataka, said the RSS has 4,127 daily shakhas, 1,389 weekly milans, 60 monthly mandalis, 2,194 Samajotsavas with 19.61 lakh participants and held 562 route marches with 2.21 lakh uniformed participants in the state.
“With such scale and influence, the RSS must clarify its legal status, registration, office bearers, funding, expenditure, taxation and permissions for public activities,” he said.
