Bengaluru, 20 July

Karnataka Congress president B K Hariprasad on Monday questioned the alleged flow of ONGC's CSR funds to organisations linked to the RSS and demanded greater transparency and accountability in the use of public resources.

Referring to a media report, Hariprasad alleged that state-owned ONGC had channelled Rs 668 crore in CSR funds to 20 RSS-linked organisations over the past decade and said the issue warranted public scrutiny.

"It's reported that Rs 668 crore of ONGC's CSR funds reportedly flowed to 20 RSS-linked organisations over the last decade," Hariprasad said in a post on 'X'.

He further alleged that the reported funding pattern should be viewed alongside "the recurring allegations of public resources -- from temple offerings and disaster relief funds to Covid relief, public land, and Kalyana Karnataka development funds -- being channelled into the Sangh ecosystem."

Hariprasad questioned the RSS's claim that it does not receive government funds, saying, "Yet the @RSSorg claims it doesn't take govt funds. If public institutions & taxpayer-backed resources are funding your affiliates, how can RSS claim to be independent of govt money?"

He said the debate had gone beyond the question of registration and added, "The issue is no longer registration alone; it is transparency, accountability, and the right of citizens to know how public money is being spent."

Demanding answers from the RSS, the Karnataka Congress chief said, "RSS should not evade further about questions on its funding and how correct it is morally for an unregistered organisation to receive such funds."

There was no immediate response from ONGC.