Karnataka Minister for Urban Development Yathindra Siddaramaiah triggered a political controversy on 17 August after a video of him describing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a “thousand-headed poisonous snake” went viral on social media, drawing sharp reactions across party lines in Mysuru, Karnataka. The remarks were made during a protest held outside the Congress office in Mysuru on 15 August, opposing an alleged “purification” ritual reportedly carried out after All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public rally in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.

What Yathindra Said

Speaking at the protest, Yathindra Siddaramaiah — son of former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Siddaramaiah — launched a direct broadside at the RSS. “The RSS is like a thousand-headed poisonous snake. It is filled with the poison of casteism, communalism and Manuvad. It is a snake that spits poison and attempts to poison the entire society. If it is not controlled, our society will be destroyed, and the country will also suffer,” he said.

Yathindra also demanded a public apology from the RSS, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Sri Ram Sena over the alleged purification ritual. “The RSS, BJP and Sri Ram Sena should publicly apologise to our Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Until they do so, we must continue this protest without fear,” he added, calling on citizens to condemn what he termed a “disgraceful mindset.”

Priyank Kharge Backs the Remarks

Karnataka’s Minister for Home, IT and BT Priyank Kharge — son of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge — defended Yathindra’s statement and went further. “What should I say? Only a thousand? It’s more. I don’t think it’s a thousand-headed snake. There are millions of people across whom they have brainwashed, whom they have let loose to sow seeds of discontentment, to sow communal seeds. And it is evident,” Priyank said.

He also alleged institutional capture, stating: “Who has taken over all the institutions? RSS. And these are the people who are slowly brainwashing everybody.” Priyank expressed hope that “Gen Z will not commit the same mistakes” and “will be able to see through the design of the RSS.”

The Haldwani Incident That Triggered the Protest

The protest was a direct response to an alleged “purification” ritual reportedly performed after AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public gathering in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. Congress leaders have described the act as deeply casteist and demanded accountability from the RSS, BJP, and Sri Ram Sena. The incident has reignited a broader debate about caste discrimination in public spaces.

Political Significance

The remarks come at a sensitive moment, with Karnataka’s Congress government already engaged in a sustained political confrontation with the BJP and RSS-affiliated organisations. Yathindra’s intervention raises the temperature further, particularly given his familial proximity to former CM Siddaramaiah, who remains a central figure in state politics. This is not the first time Congress leaders in Karnataka have publicly targeted the RSS — but the scale of the language used has drawn unusually wide attention this time.