Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel Pralhad Joshi on Saturday sharply rebuked Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge over his sustained criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), dismissing Kharge's remarks as politically motivated and inconsequential. Joshi made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Hubballi.

Joshi's Rebuke of Kharge

Joshi was withering in his assessment of the Karnataka Home Minister. 'Priyank Kharge is like an old radio that keeps playing the same song repeatedly. His statements no longer carry any value,' Joshi said. He argued that the RSS, which has completed 100 years of service to the nation, requires no registration and that senior RSS leaders had already addressed the questions raised.

Joshi further alleged that Kharge's remarks were driven by personal ambition rather than genuine concern. 'There is no need to respond to his questions,' Joshi said, adding that Kharge was reportedly angling for the Chief Minister's post and was making such statements to impress Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

The RSS Registration Controversy

The row centres on Kharge's public criticism of the RSS, including questions he raised about the organisation's functioning and its registration status. The RSS, founded in 1925, is one of India's largest civil society organisations and has long operated without the kind of formal registration that Kharge and other Congress leaders have periodically demanded. Notably, this is not the first time Congress leaders have raised the RSS registration issue — it has become a recurring flashpoint between the two parties, particularly in poll-bound or politically competitive states like Karnataka.

Corruption Charges Against Karnataka Government

Joshi broadened his attack beyond the RSS row, levelling fresh corruption allegations against the Congress government in Karnataka. He claimed that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had 'already pushed Bengaluru into decline' and warned that his potential elevation to a higher post could harm the entire state.

'This is not a corruption-free government; it is a corruption-ridden government. Even legislators from the ruling party have levelled corruption allegations against their own government,' Joshi alleged. He argued that internal dissent within the Congress itself was the clearest evidence of the state administration's dysfunction.

Joshi Targets Mamata Banerjee and Regional Parties

Widening his critique to the national landscape, Joshi alleged that corruption, misgovernance, exploitation of citizens, and dynastic politics had weakened regional parties across India. He specifically named West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, claiming that legislators and Members of Parliament were deserting the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) due to public frustration over corruption, crimes against women, and extortion. 'Despite all this, Mamata Banerjee continues to defend her rule,' he alleged.

With Karnataka politics already volatile ahead of potential leadership changes, Joshi's broadside signals that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intends to keep pressure on the Congress government on multiple fronts — from the RSS debate to governance accountability.