KPCC chief Hariprasad targets RSS, BJP over Constitution and Ram Madhav's alleged Pakistan meetings
Synopsis
KPCC chief B.K. Hariprasad used a Bengaluru seminar to level a dual-pronged attack: demanding that RSS leader Ram Madhav publicly explain alleged meetings with Pakistani ISI officials in Colombo and London, while accusing the BJP-led Centre of concealing the names of six soldiers killed in Operation Sindoor. The remarks signal an aggressive Congress pitch ahead of Bengaluru's upcoming elections.
Key Takeaways
Hariprasad addressed a seminar at Bharat Jodo Bhavan, Bengaluru on 1 July .
He alleged that RSS leader Ram Madhav held meetings in Colombo and London with a former Pakistani ISI Major General , and demanded a public explanation.
Hariprasad accused the BJP-led Centre of initially denying soldier deaths in Operation Sindoor , while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh later paid tribute to six martyred soldiers .
He said the Congress would engage with the RSS only if it accepts the Constitution, democracy, secularism , and the national flag .
He credited Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi with transforming India through the Green Revolution and industrial development.
The seminar was attended by senior Congress leaders including Vinay Kumar Sorake and former MP L.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President B.K. Hariprasad on Wednesday, 1 July launched a sharp offensive against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing both organisations of undermining India's constitutional values, secularism, and democracy. Speaking at a seminar held at Bharat Jodo Bhavan in Bengaluru, Hariprasad also demanded a public explanation from senior RSS leader Ram Madhav over his alleged meetings with Pakistani officials abroad.
Allegations Against Ram Madhav
Hariprasad alleged that Ram Madhav had been assigned charge of Bengaluru by the RSS ahead of upcoming city elections. He further claimed that Ram Madhav had held meetings in Colombo and London and had allegedly met a former Major General of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
'He must answer who authorised him to hold secret meetings with Pakistani representatives. He is neither the External Affairs Minister, nor an MLA, nor an MP. Who authorised an RSS pracharak to conduct such meetings abroad?' Hariprasad asked.
The KPCC chief also referenced remarks allegedly made by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat supporting dialogue with Pakistan, noting that when he himself had made similar observations in the past, he faced two years of criticism.
Operation Sindoor and Soldier Deaths
Turning to Operation Sindoor, Hariprasad accused the BJP-led Central government of misleading the public over military casualties. He alleged that while the Union government initially claimed no Indian soldiers had been killed, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh subsequently paid tribute to six soldiers who lost their lives.
'Even after two months, the Union government has not transparently disclosed the names of the soldiers who were martyred,' he alleged. The KPCC chief said the Congress, during its time at the Centre, had maintained a firm position that there would be no dialogue with Pakistan until terrorism was eliminated.
RSS, BJP and Constitutional Values
Hariprasad argued that India's freedom was secured through immense sacrifice and that its democratic framework was built by the nation's freedom fighters — not by those who, he alleged, opposed the independence movement. He claimed that those who had resisted the freedom struggle before 1947 had continued to act against the country's aspirations even after Independence.
'We cannot allow future generations to inherit an India built on violence, hatred and lies,' he said.
In a pointed historical comparison, he recalled that India's first Budget in 1952 under then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru stood at around ₹400 crore, while the interim government's Budget in 1947 was ₹198 crore and the literacy rate was only around 11 per cent. He credited Nehru and Indira Gandhi with transforming India through the Green Revolution and building the country into the world's largest milk producer.
Hariprasad stated his conditions for engaging with the RSS: 'We have no objection to the RSS if it accepts Mahatma Gandhi's ideals of religious harmony, the Constitution of India and the Tricolour. But they must accept the Constitution, democracy, secularism and the national flag.'
Diversity and Social Divisions
The KPCC President accused the BJP of 'moving in reverse gear' by allegedly promoting illiteracy and caste-based divisions. He alleged that the party raises issues such as Pakistan, halal, hijab, and mangalsutra only during election season.
Declaring himself a proud Hindu, Hariprasad said he followed the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Narayana Guru, Kanakadasa, and Basavanna — and explicitly distanced himself from what he described as the version of Hinduism associated with M.S. Golwalkar, Nathuram Godse, and K.B. Hedgewar.
'They are trying to destroy this diversity through ideas such as one nation, one education, one leader and one religion. India's pluralism cannot be destroyed because it is the soul of the nation,' he added.
Who Was Present
The seminar was attended by KPCC Campaign Committee Chairman Vinay Kumar Sorake, former Minister Rani Satish, Kimmane Ratnakar, Shivanna, former MP L. Hanumanthaiah, and several other Congress leaders. The BJP and RSS are yet to formally respond to Hariprasad's allegations.
Point of View
A charge that puts the BJP on the defensive without requiring the Congress to produce documentary evidence. The Operation Sindoor angle is sharper: if the government did withhold soldier names for two months, that is a transparency failure with real accountability weight. What mainstream coverage tends to miss is that Hariprasad is also repositioning the Congress as the custodian of Hindu pluralism — invoking Vivekananda and Basavanna while rejecting Golwalkar — a softer cultural counter to the BJP's Hindutva framing that the party has struggled to land consistently at the national level.
NationPress
1 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did KPCC President B.K. Hariprasad allege about Ram Madhav?
Hariprasad alleged that RSS leader Ram Madhav held meetings in Colombo and London and met a former Major General of Pakistan's ISI. He demanded Ram Madhav publicly explain who authorised these meetings, noting that Ram Madhav holds no official government position.
What are the Congress allegations regarding Operation Sindoor casualties?
Hariprasad alleged the BJP-led Union government initially claimed no Indian soldiers were killed in Operation Sindoor, but Defence Minister Rajnath Singh later paid tribute to six soldiers who lost their lives. He alleged the government has not transparently disclosed the names of the martyred soldiers even two months after the operation.
What conditions did Hariprasad set for engaging with the RSS?
Hariprasad said Congress has no objection to the RSS if it accepts Mahatma Gandhi's ideals of religious harmony, the Indian Constitution, and the national flag. He said the RSS must formally accept democracy, secularism, and the Tricolour.
Why did Hariprasad invoke Nehru and Indira Gandhi at the seminar?
Hariprasad cited India's post-Independence achievements — including the Green Revolution, becoming the world's largest milk producer, and advances in space — to argue that these were built under Congress leadership, not by the BJP or RSS. He was responding to what he described as the BJP's revisionist framing of India's development history.
What is the political context of Hariprasad's speech?
The seminar comes ahead of upcoming elections in Bengaluru, with Hariprasad alleging that Ram Madhav has been assigned charge of the city by the RSS. The remarks are widely seen as an effort by the Karnataka Congress to go on the offensive on national security and constitutional values ahead of the electoral campaign.
