Kapil Sibal’s Swipe At Mohan Bhagwat Follows RSS Chief’s Dismissal Of Registration Debate

Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday took aim at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, questioning his silence on incidents of violence and political developments, a day after the RSS leader dismissed calls for the organisation to register itself.

In a post on X, Sibal wrote: “Bhagwatji: No word of condemnation when Dalits & Muslims lynched, humiliated; Christians attacked, killed; political parties are broken; elected governments toppled by BJP using government machinery; when the allegedly corrupt embraced by BJP. Hindu culture?”

His remarks came after Bhagwat rejected Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge’s demand that the RSS formally register and disclose its finances and organisational details. Calling the issue “just politics,” Bhagwat said the Sangh functions openly and has never concealed its activities.

The RSS chief argued that registration is not mandatory for organisations like the Sangh and noted that governments have long been aware of its existence, pointing out that it had even been banned twice in the past. He added that the organisation’s written constitution had been submitted to the government in the 1950s.

Kharge had earlier argued that an organisation with thousands of branches and millions of volunteers should adhere to principles of transparency, constitutional accountability and legal compliance, including registration and financial disclosure.