Karnataka Congress chief attacks RSS at Dharwad rally

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president B.K. Hariprasad has described the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as the greater threat to India, rather than the Bharatiya Janata Party. Hariprasad made the remarks on Sunday in Dharwad while addressing a Pratirodha rally against what organisers described as fascist forces.

He urged Congress workers to participate in pro-people movements and oppose the RSS and the Sangh Parivar beyond electoral contests. He said the RSS was the “brain and soul” of the BJP and claimed that its influence posed a threat to democracy and India’s social fabric. Hariprasad argued that the political conflict involved cultural as well as electoral issues.

The Congress leader called on party members, including those across internal party lines, to support movements opposing the RSS. He said Congress was the country’s only major secular party and described it as an organisation representing people from different classes, castes and gender groups. Hariprasad also alleged that the RSS had not hoisted the national flag at its office for decades after Independence and accused the organisation of lacking respect for the national anthem.

The supplied report did not include a response from the RSS or the BJP to those claims. He accused the RSS of using what he called pseudo-patriotism while spreading hostility between communities and dividing society. He urged people to remain vigilant and make a collective effort against the organisation’s activities.

The remarks were delivered at a rally framed by the Congress leader as opposition to anti-social and anti-democratic policies. The report provided no details about the size of the gathering, resolutions adopted or further action announced by organisers.