Vijayapura: BJP MP Ramesh Jigajinagi’s remarks questioning why a Dalit should concern himself with the RSS while attacking Home Minister Priyank Kharge sparked a controversy on Thursday, with the Minister questioning whether the remark was a warning to Dalits to stay away from the RSS.
Speaking to reporters in Vijayapura, Jigajinagi on Wednesday had criticised Kharge’s demand that the RSS be registered and disclose details of its finances and functioning.
“Those who have taken on the RSS have not survived till now. Why does a Dalit man need to concern himself with the RSS issue?” he said.
The Vijayapura MP also took a personal swipe at Kharge, claiming that he had been given the Home portfolio because of his father’s contribution to the Congress party.
“Instead of all this, he should remain calm and earn a name for himself as Home Minister,” Jigajinagi said.
Responding sharply to BJP MP Ramesh Jigajinagi’s remarks, Priyank Kharge on Thursday questioned whether the Vijayapura MP’s comments reflected frustration, a warning to Dalits, or an attempt to intimidate those who questioned the RSS.
“Why does a Dalit need to concern himself with the RSS?” — this is the question BJP MP Ramesh Jigajinagi has asked me. This is a question that needs to be examined from several dimensions. Is this the frustration of Ramesh Jigajinagi, himself a member of the Dalit community, over not being allowed entry into the RSS sanctum sanctorum? Or is it a warning that Dalits should stay away from an organisation like the RSS, which believes in the fundamentals of a hierarchical social order?” Kharge questioned in a post on X.
Kharge further asked whether the remark implied that Dalits had no right to question the RSS, which he described as an organisation created to protect the interests of those with sense of social superiority, or whether it reflected an expression of helplessness that Dalits are incapable of bringing an organisation like the RSS onto the path of constitutional values.
The Home Minister also took exception to Jigajinagi’s reported warning that “those who have taken on the RSS have not survived”. Kharge questioned whether the BJP MP was speaking out of fear of the RSS or attempting to instil fear in him.
“What is the reason behind this threat? What does ‘have not survived’ mean? Does it mean the RSS is a terror organisation? Does it eliminate those who question it?” he asked.
Addressing Jigajinagi directly, Kharge said he drew his courage to question and his ideological convictions from Dr BR Ambedkar. He asserted that those who believed in Ambedkar’s ideals did not live in fear.
Kharge further said he stood protected by the Constitution and had no reason to fear those who did not enjoy constitutional recognition. “I fear only morality, not threats, because Ambedkar’s blood runs in our veins,” he said.
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