On the 150th birth anniversary of India's Iron Man, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge unleashed a blistering critique of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), urging the government to reinstate a ban on the organisation's activities. Speaking at a press conference, Kharge drew heavily from Patel's historical stance against the RSS, accusing the group and its political arm, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of undermining national unity and fuelling contemporary unrest.
"Sardar Patel, as our first Home Minister, recognised the dangers posed by the RSS's ideology early on," Kharge declared. He referenced a pivotal letter Patel penned on February 4, 1948, to Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, shortly after Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. In it, Patel condemned the RSS for allegedly celebrating Gandhi's death by distributing sweets and fostering an atmosphere of communal venom that contributed to the tragedy.
"This wasn't mere rhetoric; Patel acted decisively," Kharge emphasised. Following Gandhi's murder by Nathuram Godse, a former Hindu Mahasabha member with RSS ties, Patel's government imposed a nationwide ban on the RSS in 1948, lasting until 1949. Additionally, civil servants were prohibited from engaging in RSS or Jamaat-e-Islami activities, a restriction upheld for decades until the Modi administration revoked it on July 9, 2024. "We demand this reversal be undone immediately," Kharge insisted. "Government service must remain impartial, free from ideological affiliations that threaten our democracy."
The Congress leader went further, expressing a "personal conviction" that the RSS itself warrants a full ban. He linked the organisation to rising law-and-order breakdowns, from communal clashes to vigilante violence, blaming the BJP-RSS nexus for eroding social harmony. "All the chaos we see today stems from their divisive agenda," he said. Kharge also paid homage to Patel's partnership with Jawaharlal Nehru, debunking BJP narratives of a rift between the duo. "Nehru hailed Patel's role in integrating over 500 princely states as unparalleled. They worked hand-in-glove for India's cohesion - unlike the current regime's attempts to rewrite history."
The timing amplified the controversy: October 31 marks both Patel's birth and the 41st death anniversary of Indira Gandhi, whom Kharge lauded as the "Iron Lady" who echoed Patel's commitment to integrity. Yet, his words ignited swift backlash from the BJP, which branded them as opportunistic hypocrisy.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla fired back, labeling Kharge's invocation of Patel as "cynical electioneering." "For over five decades, Congress sidelined Sardar Patel, denying him the prime ministership and airbrushing his legacy from textbooks," Poonawalla retorted in a televised response. He accused the party of "selective amnesia," noting how Congress governments overlooked Patel's unification efforts while now weaponising his name against the RSS, which the BJP views as a cultural volunteer body promoting patriotism.
