Bengaluru, 9 Nov

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday responded to criticism from Congress leaders over the organisation’s lack of formal registration, asserting that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is legally recognised as a “body of individuals” and has never been required to register.

Speaking at an internal question-and-answer session, Bhagwat said, “RSS was established in 1925 — do you expect us to have registered with the British government?” He added that post-independence, the Government of India did not mandate registration for such bodies. 

“We are categorised as a body of individuals, and we are a recognised organisation,” he said, noting that both the Income Tax department and courts have affirmed this status, with the organisation exempted from income tax.

He pointed out that the RSS had been banned three times. “If we were not recognised, whom did they ban?” he asked, adding that many institutions, “even Hindu Dharma”, are not registered.

Responding to accusations that the RSS respects only the saffron flag, Bhagwat said the tricolour is treated with “respect, tribute and protection”. His remarks come after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called for a ban on the RSS, and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge questioned its registration and funding.

Bhagwat reiterated that the Sangh does not engage in electoral politics. “We support policies, not parties. If Congress had supported the Ram Mandir movement, we would have supported them too,” he said, stressing that “no party is ours, and all parties are ours because they are Bharatiya”.

On Pakistan, Bhagwat said the RSS seeks peace but accused Islamabad of repeatedly breaking it. He warned that if Pakistan “does not mend its ways”, it would face consequences similar to 1971. “We have to speak the language they understand,” he said.

Addressing caste, he claimed there is “no casteism, only caste confusion” driven by concessions and elections, arguing that individuals can “forget caste” themselves. On ‘love jihad’, he urged people to focus on inculcating “Hindu samskara at home” rather than worrying about others’ actions.