Is the Congress Reflecting Ideological Desperation or Making a Major Political Blunder by Demanding a Ban on the RSS?
New Delhi : Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent call for re-imposing a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has once again ignited a heated political debate in the country. Speaking on the occasion of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary, Kharge alleged that the RSS is “responsible for the problems related to law and order in the country” and claimed that “Sardar Patel’s legacy will be truly honored only when the RSS is banned again.” This statement is not merely political rhetoric but an attack on an ideology that has contributed to nation-building for nearly a century.
Responding sharply, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale questioned, “On what grounds should the RSS be banned? Is it right to target an organization devoted to national service? The people of India have already accepted the RSS.”
Despite years of criticism and misinformation by several Congress leaders, the truth remains that since its founding in 1925, the RSS has played a pivotal role in social unity, community service, and character-building—values that transcend political boundaries and belong to the entire society.
From the freedom struggle to the 1962 Indo-China war, and from relief work during the Partition of 1947 to its ongoing seva (service) projects, the RSS has consistently stood at the forefront during times of national crisis. Mahatma Gandhi, after visiting an RSS camp in Wardha, remarked that he was “amazed by the discipline and the absence of untouchability.” Dr. B.R. Ambedkar too appreciated the caste-free environment within the organization. In 1963, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru himself invited the RSS to participate in the Independence Day parade—a fact that underscores the RSS’s deep-rooted presence in India’s social fabric.
Kharge’s remarks, therefore, seem to reflect a sense of ideological insecurity within the Congress. The RSS’s influence today extends far beyond the BJP, with its volunteers working across diverse social and cultural spheres. In such a context, demanding a ban on the organization appears disconnected from public sentiment. The same public that witnesses RSS volunteers quietly serving during floods, earthquakes, or pandemics may find such rhetoric tone-deaf and dismissive of their contributions.
This is not the first time Congress has targeted the RSS. After Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948, the organization was temporarily banned. However, after the judicial inquiry and the Kapur Commission Report cleared the RSS of any wrongdoing, the ban was lifted—and the organization emerged stronger than before. History has repeatedly shown that attempts to suppress ideological movements only strengthen them. Unfortunately, today’s Congress seems unwilling to learn from that history.
Calling for a ban on the RSS is not just a politically unpopular move; it could also prove socially divisive. Such a demand risks alienating millions of volunteers and supporters who see the RSS as a symbol of their service ethos and patriotism. For a large section of the Indian populace, the RSS is no longer viewed as an appendage of any political party but as a symbol of cultural nationalism. By calling for its ban, Congress risks further distancing itself from the public.
Ultimately, Kharge’s statement exposes the ideological fatigue within the Congress, which appears to be opposing for the sake of opposition. Attempting to discredit an organization that unites communities is not only a political misstep but also an act of insensitivity toward India’s national identity.
In essence, the demand to ban the RSS challenges the very sentiment of the society that has embraced the organization over decades. Once an idea is accepted by the people, no ban can truly contain it — it survives beyond paper, in the spirit of the nation itself.
