Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Karg on Thursday asserted that he fears nothing being a follower of BR Ambedkar, as he accused BJP MP Ramesh Jejajnagi of suggesting that Dalits have no right to question the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The remarks came a day after the BJP MP said that “those who embraced the RSS were not spared”, amid an ongoing controversy over the Sangh’s legal status with Karg pressing the organization to disclose its legal status, organizational structure and finances. Karg has argued that an organization with such a broad national presence should be subject to the same standards of transparency and constitutional accountability as other public bodies.
Earlier this week, Karg wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking details about the organisation’s registration, office bearers, sources of income, expenditure, assets and tax compliance. The RSS and BJP rejected this request. Bhagwat said the organization operates openly and formal registration is generally only required for organizations seeking government funding. Karg later said that he wrote the letter in his official capacity as Karnataka Home Minister, and that the RSS should respond to the questions raised by the constitutional authority.
The dispute took a sharp political turn on Wednesday when Jejajnaji questioned Kharge’s anti-RSS campaign and his reasons for pursuing it. “Those who embraced the RSS were not spared. Why should a Dalit person be worried about the RSS?” The BJP MP said while speaking to reporters. Jejajnaji also rejected Kharge’s demand that the RSS should be officially registered. “What will you achieve by registering the RSS? Ask people about the RSS, they will tell you. This is not the home minister’s job,” he said.
Turning his attention to Karji personally, Jegajinagi added: “He got the home ministry portfolio because his father worked in Congress. He lacks wisdom. Instead of making such statements, he should focus on his responsibilities and gain a good reputation.”
In a statement issued by his office on Thursday, Kharge said the BJP MP’s question deserved examination from “different dimensions”, arguing that it went beyond political disagreement. “Is this the voice of frustration that Ramesh Jejajnaji, himself a member of the Dalit community, feels because he cannot enter the RSS campus?” Kharg asked.
He continued: “Are these words meant to warn Dalits against associating with the RSS, which believes in the fundamentals of a graded social order? Or are they meant to tell me that I, as a Dalit, have no right to question an organization created to protect the interests of those with a sense of social superiority?” Karg also asked whether Jigajinaji believed Dalits were incapable of subjecting the RSS to constitutional scrutiny. “Do these expressions of despair indicate that Dalits are unable to bring an organization like the RSS to the constitutional path?” he asked. Responding to Jegajinaji’s warning that “those who attacked the RSS did not survive”, Karji questioned the intention and implication of the statement.
“No one has been spared from the RSS,” is the warning given by Ramesh Jejajnaji. Was this statement made because he himself feared the RSS, or was he aiming to intimidate me?” Kharge said.
“Ramesh Jejajnaji, I am a follower of Babasaheb’s ideology. My courage to question and condemn come from him. Those who believe in Babasaheb are fearless,” he added.
