BJP National Organisational General Secretary B.L. Santhosh on 15 August 2025 declared that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is not registered and will never seek registration, directly challenging the Karnataka government over its proposed legislation that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claims targets the organisation. Santhosh made the remarks at Bannappa Park in Bengaluru during the 'Akhanda Bharat Sankalpa Day' programme organised by the Hindu Jagarana Vedike on the occasion of India's 80th Independence Day.

The Registration Row

Santhosh's remarks were a pointed response to the state government's move to table the Karnataka Regulation of Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill, 2026. The BJP has alleged that the proposed law is designed to curtail the activities of the RSS and similar organisations — a charge that Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has denied, publicly questioning whether the bill even mentions the RSS by name.

'The RSS is not registered and it will not register. We know what organisations that have registered are doing,' Santhosh said, in an apparent reference to Kharge's earlier remarks on the issue. He added that registration 'could not be considered a benchmark for judging the organisation' and that 'Priyank Kharge could not be the benchmark for everything.'

The Razakar Charge

In his sharpest salvo, Santhosh turned to history, invoking the Razakar attacks in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region to target the Kharge family directly. He alleged that the family of All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief Mallikarjun Kharge had fled to Kalaburagi during those attacks and that it was RSS workers — not the police or political leaders of the time — who stood against the Razakars.

'Your family came to Kalaburagi and built a life here after fleeing the attacks of the Razakars. Your father, Mallikarjun Kharge, came here fearing the Razakar attacks. The reason you and your family were able to live peacefully here was the Hindus,' he said. 'When you fled here, it was the RSS that stood against the Razakars. Your police did not come. Your politicians did not come. It was the RSS workers who stood on the streets. You should remember this,' Santhosh added.

The Constituency Challenge

Santhosh also raised what he framed as a democratic deficit, stating that for 20 years, no Hindu representative has been elected as an MLA from Bengaluru's Shivajinagar and Chamarajpet Assembly constituencies. 'I challenge you — field a Hindu leader in these two constituencies and try to get him elected,' he said, while clarifying he had 'not come here to speak politics.'

What the Proposed Bill Says

The Karnataka Regulation of Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill, 2026 proposes stringent penalties for unauthorised use of government lands, buildings, roads, parks, playgrounds, water bodies, and other public property by private individuals, organisations, associations, and societies. Under the proposed law, a first offence could attract up to three years' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to ₹5 lakh. A second or subsequent offence could attract up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹10 lakh. Continued violation after conviction could attract an additional fine of up to ₹5,000 per day. Unauthorised use under the bill would amount to trespass.

This comes amid a broader pattern of BJP-Congress confrontations in Karnataka since the Indian National Congress returned to power in the state in 2023. The RSS registration row is the latest flashpoint, and with the bill yet to be tabled formally, the political battle over its intent is likely to intensify.