‘RSS is Indian Taliban’: Congress leader BK Hariprasad

NEW DELHI:Calling Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh “Indian Taliban,” Congress leader BK Hariprasad on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for praising the RSS in his Independence Day address.

“They (RSS) are trying to disturb peace in the country. I will only equate RSS with Taliban, they are Indian Taliban and PM is appreciating them from Red Fort,” Hariprasad said. He also raised questions about the source of funding for RSS.

“Was there any ‘Sanghi’ who participated in the freedom struggle? The man who spoke from the Red Fort yesterday…It’s a shame that RSS is not a registered organisation. We don’t know where they get funds. Any NGO that wants to work in the country should register, as per the Constitution,” the former Rajya Sabha member said.

#WATCH | On PM Modi mentioning RSS in his I-day speech, Congress leader BK Hariprasad says, “BJP and RSS are the masters of twisting history and they are trying to rewrite the history. It was Syama Prasad Mookerjee who moved first resolution in Bengal for Partition. Jinnah and… pic.twitter.com/tNbeAIxQmG

— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2025

Hariprasad asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and RSS were “masters of twisting history” and further accused them of trying to rewrite history. He also argued that it was AK Fazlul Huq, Prime Minister of Bengal during British rule, who moved the first resolution for the Partition, and Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee was party to the same.

“BJP and RSS are the masters of twisting history, and they are trying to rewrite history. It was Fazlul Huq and Syama Prasad Mookerjee who moved the first resolution in Bengal for the Partition. Jinnah and Savarkar were of the opinion that both religions need a separate state. They are trying to blame Congress for it,” the Congress leader said.

It comes after Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi, in his Red Fort address on the 79th Independence Day yesterday, hailed the RSS for completing 100 years of service to the nation, describing it as the “biggest NGO in the world” and praising its century-long contribution to nation-building.

“Today, I would like to proudly mention that 100 years ago, an organisation was born – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). 100 years of service to the nation is a proud, golden chapter. With the resolve of ‘vyakti nirman se rashtra nirman’, with the aim of welfare of Maa Bharati, swayamsevaks dedicated their lives to the welfare of our motherland…In a way, RSS is the biggest NGO of the world. It has a history of 100 years of dedication,” PM Modi said.

RSS was founded on September 25, 1925.

Earlier, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also claimed that RSS never participated in the freedom struggle and said that the “cultural organisation” hated freedom fighters more than the Britishers. He argued that RSS has always opposed “inclusive nationalism.” (ANI)