Bengaluru, 10 November

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday claimed that investigations by the SIT and the CBI into the murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh, scholar M M Kalburgi, rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and activist Govind Pansare had traced the accused to "clandestine networks" linked to the RSS.

He also once again questioned the RSS' alleged lack of formal registration, membership records and publicly consolidated accounts, and challenged it to make its organisational structure and finances transparent.

The minister made this statement in response to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya's post on 'X' targeting him for his recent statement in Kerala, where he alleged that people associated with the Sangh Parivar were responsible for the killings of Gauri Lankesh, Kalburgi and Dabholkar.

Surya demanded that Kharge produce evidence to back his allegations within three days or resign.

“Your desperate defence of the RSS has exposed its greatest duplicity. Claims credit for everything but take responsibility for nothing,” Kharge said in a post on X reacting to Surya's post.

He alleged that the SIT and CBI investigations into the four murders have traced the accused persons to “clandestine networks linked with the RSS”.

"But your parent organisation RSS’ structure makes owning and disowning people remarkably convenient based on circumstances. The RSS refuses to get registered, maintains no formal membership enrollment or public membership register. You collect Guru Dakshina before the Bhagwa Dhwaj, yet publish no consolidated accounts," he added.

Wondering how cases linked to the RSS can be investigated when it has no formal membership register, the minister said there is no registered legal identity and no verifiable record of who represents it.

“If you care about the truth, ask your RSS masters to register, identify their office-bearers and disclose their accounts,” he said, accusing the organisation of hiding behind anonymity to evade responsibility.

Challenging Surya to get the RSS registered, Kharge said, “Get your RSS registered. The registration fee is on me. Let’s see if you have the courage to accept the challenge.”

Recently speaking at a public meeting as part of the Muslim Youth League state conference in Kochi, Kharge claimed that Sangh people killed Kalburgi, Gauri Lankesh and Dabholkar, and said that the cases relating to the killings were progressing and all involved will be jailed in six months.

".....Sangh people killed Kalburgi ji, Gauri Lankesh ji and Dabholkar ji. Cases are ongoing. In another six months, I will finish it and put all these people in jail. We are following it up. We will do it. Because these are the people who are responsible for killing Gandhi," he said.

Reacting to Kharge's comments in Kerala, Surya, in a post on X, told the former that the cause of justice for Gauri Lankesh and Prof. Kalburgi deserves far better than political speeches at a Muslim Youth League event in Kerala.

"You are Karnataka's Home Minister. Your responsibility is to ensure justice in accordance with the rule of law, not pronounce prejudiced verdicts from political platforms," he said.

The chargesheet in the Gauri Lankesh murder case was filed in 2018, and the trial began in 2022. The case is now before its seventh judge, with all accused out on bail. In Prof. Kalburgi's case, only 33 of 139 witnesses have been examined as of September 2026, he pointed out.

Surya argued that as the Home Minister, Kharge should anwer for the prosecution delays rather than signalling to the judiciary how to rule.

"And as Karnataka's sitting Home Minister, your case chal raha hai (case is ongoing), another six months I will finish it and I will put all these people in jail" remark suggests that you seem to be insinuating which way the judiciary must rule. This raises serious concerns about the fairness and independence of the ongoing trials under your watch," he alleged.

"When you invoke the “Sangh”, name the individuals concerned who have been chargesheeted in these cases. Produce evidence to back your allegations within three days or resign," Surya challenged.

He reminded that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi continues to face defamation proceedings over similar remarks concerning Gauri Lankesh's murder.