Priyank Kharge, son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and a Minister in the Karnataka Government, has made a shocking and provocative remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). While speaking to media, he said, “If our government comes to power at the Centre, we will ban the RSS.” He also claimed that Congress had banned the RSS twice in the past and regretted lifting those bans.
Taking his rhetoric further, Kharge vowed to dismantle the Sangh entirely: “Trust me, the day the people vest me with enough power, I will use every constitutional tool to dismantle the toxic, anti-national machinery of the RSS.”
Without providing any evidence, he accused the RSS of “infecting institutions.”
Notably, Priyank Kharge remark on nationalist organisation like RSS came after RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale recently while addressing a gathering on 50 years of emergency said, “During the Emergency, two words ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ were added to the Constitution. At that time the country had no functioning Parliament, no rights, no judiciary and yet these two words were added. That is why this matter must be discussed”.
“During the Emergency, people faced third-degree torture, lost jobs, were beaten, and suffered atrocities. It was an example of what happens when people in power are driven by ego”, he said.
Pointing out Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders, Dattatreya Hosabale said, “Those who imposed Emergency roam around with copies of the Constitution, but they have not apologised till today. They must apologise. 1 lakh people went to jail and other 60 lakhs people were forcibly sterilised. Judiciary was weakened. If their ancestors did this, then they must apologise in their name”.
Congress’s dictatorial mindset
In a surprising attempt to defend the Congress party’s internal functioning, he claimed: “In our party, the High Command isn’t a one-man show. It’s a structured, democratic leadership, not a personality cult. Roles are defined, decisions are deliberated, and the system matters.”
However, Kharge’s remarks is in contrast with Congress’s historical record of authoritarianism and dynasty-driven politics. The party has long operated under the unquestioned supremacy of the Gandhi family. Leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have continued to wield absolute power, reducing even the Congress President to a ceremonial figure. It is widely believed within and outside the party that Mallikarjun Kharge himself functions at the behest of Sonia Gandhi.
The party’s treatment of former Congress President Sitaram Kesari is a chilling reminder of this. He was unceremoniously removed in 1998 to make way for Sonia Gandhi’s coronation, move many senior Congress leaders still describe as undemocratic and humiliating.
Similarly, during Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister (2004–2014), Sonia Gandhi remained the real power centre, chairing the National Advisory Council and deciding key policy matters, reducing Singh to a mere figurehead.
Priyank Kharge’s statements reflect not just political arrogance but also expose the hypocrisy of a party that routinely accuses others of authoritarianism while nurturing its own dynasty-driven dictatorship.
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