Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, defended the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) practice of carrying lathis, saying the organisation has maintained the tradition since its founding 100 years ago. Speaking at a press conference in Mysuru, Narayanaswamy was responding to remarks by Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, who had referenced RSS volunteers carrying lathis and wearing shorts.

Narayanaswamy Defends the RSS Tradition

The BJP leader stated categorically that lathis have always been a part of RSS activities and were never used for any covert purpose. 'It has been 100 years since the RSS was established. The lathi was there then, and it is there now also. RSS volunteers carry lathis and wield them not for any other reason. They undertake physical exercises in the morning and learn various things,' Narayanaswamy said.

He argued that the RSS's physical training regimen, which includes lathi exercises, is a legitimate and longstanding cultural practice. The remarks amount to the BJP's sharpest local pushback yet against the Congress-led state government's recent commentary on the Sangh.

Sharp Dig at Home Minister Priyank Kharge

Narayanaswamy did not stop at defending the RSS — he trained his sights directly on Home Minister Priyank Kharge, suggesting that the minister's repeated references to Nagpur, the RSS, lathis, and shorts had become something of a fixation. 'There is another minister in the state, the Home Minister. Recently, he has not been coming out of the house. I wish him well, but he always speaks about Nagpur, RSS, lathi and shorts. That is all. I have asked him not to see others' shorts. Instead, he should see his own. Despite this, he is not relenting and is interested in shorts,' Narayanaswamy said.

The remark was widely interpreted as a pointed jibe, with Narayanaswamy suggesting that Kharge would do better to focus on his own record rather than on the RSS's organisational practices.

Criticism Over Mysuru Dasara Arrangements

Narayanaswamy also trained his criticism on the state government's decision to deploy 22 ministers to oversee the Mysuru Dasara celebrations, describing it as excessive and unnecessary. He specifically questioned the role assigned to Urban Development Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, who is also the Mysuru District In-Charge Minister and the son of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

'What is the power of Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah? It seems he does not have time even to carry out his household chores. Other ministers have been appointed, and Yathindra is younger than them. Let him remain at home and adjust things there,' Narayanaswamy said.

Notably, tradition has been for the District In-Charge Minister to handle Dasara arrangements single-handedly. Critics in the BJP argue the multi-minister framework dilutes accountability and points to internal authority struggles within the ruling coalition.

Context: RSS vs Congress in Karnataka

The verbal exchange is the latest episode in an ongoing war of words between the Congress-led Karnataka government and the BJP over the RSS's profile in the state. Priyank Kharge, son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, has made the RSS a recurring theme in his political messaging, reflecting the party's broader national strategy of framing the BJP through its ideological parent. The BJP, for its part, has consistently pushed back, presenting the RSS as a cultural and social organisation rather than a political one.

With Mysuru Dasara — one of Karnataka's most watched state events — approaching, the political skirmishing over the festival's administration adds another layer to the state's already charged political climate.