Digvijaya Backs Priyank Kharge Call For RSS Funding Disclosure, Says He’D Written To Bhagwat, Nirmala Too

Digvijaya Singh Supports Priyank Kharge’s Call for RSS Funding Transparency

Priyank Kharge has clarified that his intent is not to impose a ban on the RSS but rather to advocate for transparency. He argues that while the RSS can operate as a cultural organization, its significant impact on public affairs necessitates accountability. In a statement from Bhopal on Wednesday, Digvijaya Singh endorsed Kharge's stance, emphasizing that the letter has resurfaced many unresolved issues regarding the RSS.

Singh, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, noted that he had previously addressed these concerns in letters to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. In his correspondence with Sitharaman on October 22, 2021, Singh called for an investigation into the RSS’s registration status, funding sources, income and spending, tax compliance, and overall accountability. He questioned why the RSS should not adhere to the same transparency standards expected of trusts, NGOs, and political parties.

Singh referred to insights from RTI activist Mohnish Jabalpure, who revealed that the RSS distributed over seven crore food packets and one crore ration kits during the COVID-19 pandemic, without any official clarification on the funding sources for these initiatives. Additionally, in his letter to Bhagwat dated November 12, 2025, Singh contested the RSS chief's claim that the organization represents Hinduism, asserting that no group should equate itself with a religion.

“Today, Priyank Kharge has raised many of the same questions that I have been asking publicly for a long time,” Singh stated. He reiterated that this issue transcends opposition to any specific entity, focusing instead on the principles of equality under the Constitution, rule of law, transparency, and public accountability. The outgoing Rajya Sabha MP argued that if numerous trusts and organizations must disclose their financial details, the same should apply to the RSS.

“In a democracy, no institution can be above questions and accountability,” Singh emphasized. He urged the RSS to publicly share information regarding its legal status, organizational structure, funding sources, income, expenditures, and tax compliance, asserting that such transparency aligns with democratic values and constitutional principles.