New Delhi: Karnataka Information Technology (IT) and Biotechnology (IT and BT) minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday (November 2) questioned the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS’s) lack of legal registration and secrecy regarding their funding and underlined that the organisation is “evading scrutiny and taxes while claiming to serve the nation”. In a post on X, Kharge asked, “The RSS has officially stated in writing that it is NOT a registered entity. If it truly serves the nation selflessly, why not register like the lakhs of NGOs that work transparently and lawfully? Where do their donations come from and who are the donors?”Kharge also criticised the level of state protection accorded to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, claiming that the security detail was equivalent to that of the prime minister and top Union ministers. “Why does the head of an unregistered organisation receive advanced security liaison protocol, putting him on par with the prime minister and home minister? Why is tax payers money being spent for the head of RSS? Who pays the full-time pracharaks and funds the organisation’s daily operations and “social” campaigns? If the RSS is unregistered and unaccountable, isn’t it evading scrutiny and taxes while claiming to serve the nation? How does this make them Desh Bhakts? he questioned. The RSS has officially stated in writing that it is NOT a registered entity.If it truly serves the nation selflessly, why not register like the lakhs of NGOs that work transparently and lawfully?Where do their donations come from and who are the donors?Why does the head of… pic.twitter.com/xzggOTVuaI— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) November 2, 2025In August 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) upgraded Bhagwat’s security from Z plus to the top slot of ‘advance security liaison (ASL) protectee’.Kharge’s remarks come amid an ongoing dispute over the RSS’s plan to conduct a route march in Chittapur, Kharge’s assembly constituency in Kalaburagi district.The RSS’s route march in Chittapur, originally scheduled for October 19, was denied permission by the local administration. The organisation then approached the Karnataka high court, proposing to reschedule it for November 2. A meeting convened by the Kalaburagi district administration last week to reconcile the RSS’s plan with a Dalit group’s event on the same day ended inconclusively. Following court directions, another round of talks between the two sides is set for March 7.