‘Urban Naxals have hijacked brains of Congress’: BJP’s CT Ravi hits back at Priyank Kharge over RSS registration row

KALABURAGI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC C T Ravi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Congress after Home Minister Priyank Kharge raised questions over the registration status of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), alleging that “Urban Naxals have hijacked the brains of the Congress”.

Speaking in Kalaburagi, Ravi defended the RSS, saying the organisation has been serving the nation for nearly a century and does not rely on government funds or donations for its activities. “The RSS has been working for the country for the past 100 years. The Sangh does not ask for donations. The expenditure of daily activities is held by the guru dakshina that the volunteers offer annually,” Ravi said.

He further asserted that the RSS has never sought financial assistance or benefits from the government. “The Sangh has not asked for money from the government either. As of registration, the Sangh is not a company, society or trust. They have not asked for any land or grant from the government,” he said.

#WATCH | Kalaburagi, Karnataka: On State Minister Priyank Kharge writing to RSS over its registration, BJP leader CT Ravi says, “The RSS has been working for the country for the past 100 years. The sangh does not ask for donations… The expenditure of daily activities is held by… pic.twitter.com/zhq3vkGS3k

— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2026

Attacking the Congress over the issue, Ravi alleged that the party’s thinking had been influenced by anti-national elements. “Urban Naxals have hijacked the brains of the Congress,” he said.

The BJP leader’s remarks came after Home Minister Priyank Kharge raised serious concerns over remarks attributed to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat that the RSS could mobilise a force “within three days” to fight at the border, questioning its legal status and organisational accountability.

He said such claims warrant scrutiny of the organisation’s structure, training, funding and command chain, arguing that it raises issues related to national security, public order and constitutional transparency. In a post on X, Kharge wrote, “RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat claims that, unlike the Army, the @RSSorg can prepare a force and raise an army within three days to fight at the border”. (ANI)