New Delhi: Citing the fact that in a constitutional democracy, no organisation, however old, large or influential, can remain above scrutiny, Karnataka home minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge has written to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, urging the outfit to provide information including those pertaining to its legal status and organisational structure, whether it is paying taxes and also details about sources of donations, contributions and income.Kharge on Monday (June 15) shared the letter to Bhagwat dated June 13 on his official X account and said that in its centenary year, the RSS must responsibly abide by the Constitution and register, disclose, pay applicable taxes and function transparently within the Constitution.In the letter, Kharge congratulates the RSS on completing 100 years of its existence and says that an organisation that claims to have over 60,000 shakhas and crores of swayamsevaks across India and abroad undoubtedly has a significant presence in public life and society.“It is precisely because of this scale, influence and reach that the RSS must be held to the highest standards of transparency, accountability and constitutional compliance,” Kharge has written in his letter to Bhagwat.Kharge added that according to the annual report for 2025-26 released by the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), the highest decision-making body of the RSS, the organisation has a significant footprint in Karnataka, with 4,127 daily shakhas, 1,389 weekly milans and 60 monthly mandalis.“The RSS’ public mobilisation is equally extensive. As per your report, the organisation conducted 2,194 Samajotsavas, drawing 19,61,158 participants. You also claim to have organised 562 route marches across the State, usually covering 2.5 to 3 km, with 2,21,963 uniformed participants. Taken together, these figures show a vast, disciplined and deeply embedded network operating across Karnataka through daily cadre-building, weekly and monthly outreach, mass public events and uniformed route marches,” Kharge said in the letter.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, 2026He added that such an extensive organisational presence, especially when it involves regular public mobilisation, uniformed route marches and large-scale social outreach, cannot be treated as a private or informal arrangement.“It raises legitimate questions about legal status, accountability, financial transparency, public order, permissions, sources of funding and compliance with the Constitution and laws of India,” said Kharge.“We therefore request the RSS to depute its authorised office bearers to explain the legal grounds on which an organisation of such magnitude continues to function with anonymity and without being formally registered as a legal entity or as a “body of individuals” under the applicable laws,” he added.Kharge added that every religious institution and religious trusts are audited and charitable bodies, NGOs, trusts, societies, companies and other institutions are required to disclose their structure, activities, finances and sources of income.Kharge said in the letter that it is only fair and necessary that the RSS comes places in public domain information including its legal status and organisational structure, details of its office bearers and authorised representatives, sources of donations, contributions and income, details of expenditure and assets, whether applicable taxes are being paid in accordance with law, the legal basis on which organisation activities are conducted without formal registration, the constitutional and statutory framework under which it claims the right to operate at such scale without public accountability, and details of permissions, authorisations and compliance mechanisms for public events, route marches, mass gatherings and other organised activities.“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 has said in his letter to Bhagwat.In recent times, Kharge has kept the heat on the RSS, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s ideological fountainhead, which has been described by its chief Mohan Bhagwat as a body that does not need formal registration.Earlier on June 10, Kharge had challenged the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to show him under which laws the organisation is exempted from being accountable to the government, asking how in a country where every street vendor must register, an body like the RSS can be above the law.