Debunking Falsehoods: Congress Fires Shot at RSS from Sardar Patel’s Shoulder, Pushes Blinkered History to Demand Ban

Joining his son Priyank’s tirade against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has demanded a fresh ban on the socio-cultural organisation marking its centenary year. Incidentally, Kharge came to his son’s rescue after the Karnataka Minister and Congress government faced setbacks in imposing restrictions on RSS, its voluntary members, and their activities.

Addressing the press in New Delhi, Kharge invoked Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s legacy to demand a renewed ban on the RSS, arguing that the Iron Man of India had prohibited government employees from participating in RSS activities. However, Kharge presented a one-sided interpretation of history to justify his call for a ban and restrictions on government employees’ association with RSS.

It is an established fact that the ban imposed post-Gandhi assassination was based on allegations linking the RSS to the murder, which were later debunked in courts. Subsequently, the ban was lifted, and several governments—including Jawaharlal Nehru’s invitee to RSS cadres to participate in Republic Day parade in 1963, effectively disproving the conspiracy theories. Despite these facts, Kharge revived this disproven claim in his demand for a ban.

Responding to questions about an RSS ban, Kharge said, “It is my personal opinion, it should be done,” alleging that most law and order problems in India arise from the BJP-RSS nexus. He claimed that the ban imposed during Patel’s tenure was lifted by the BJP government in 2024 and asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, who claim to respect Sardar Patel, must reinstate the ban.

To support his claims, Kharge cited a letter from Sardar Patel to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, in which Patel reportedly blamed the RSS for creating an atmosphere that led to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

However, the fact remains that it was Sardar Patel himself who was eager to lift the ban on the RSS at the earliest opportunity, as revealed in his 16th July 1949 letter to TR Venkatarama Sastri, where Patel wrote, “I was myself keen to remove the ban at the earliest possible opportunity…”. Furthermore, there had been correspondence between RSS Sarsanghchalak Guruji Golwalkar and Sardar Patel, heaping praise on each other which disprove the narrative of Sardar Patel being against RSS.

Hitting back at Kharge, the BJP accused Congress of abusing Patel’s legacy for political mileage. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla criticized the Congress for ignoring Patel’s contributions for decades and only invoking his name now to attack the RSS. Poonawalla stated, “Despite all their conspiracies, the court lifted the ban on the RSS. But the Congress is so intolerant that it stands with the rioters of PFI, SDPI, and MIM while spewing venom against RSS, which works for the country’s welfare.”

Interestingly, while the Congress President now demands a ban on RSS activities, Sangh supporters have presented documentary evidence of Mallikarjun Kharge attending an RSS event in January 2002, which raises questions about the consistency of his demand.