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Ideological and political conflict has once again reached its peak in Karnataka politics. There is huge anger in the entire state after the controversial comments made by Karnataka Chief Minister Priyank Kharge on the social media platform X regarding Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Priyank Kharge, in his recent statements and social media posts, had tried to link RSS with the recently exposed huge cartridge seizure case and the murders of high-profile intellectuals in the past. As soon as this statement came to light, supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party, Sangh and former administrative officials have termed it as baseless, malicious and a move to spread disharmony in the society. From the capital Bengaluru to many districts of the state, political turmoil regarding this issue has increased and this matter has now taken legal form.
A written complaint has been lodged against Priyank Kharge at Banashankari Police Station in Bengaluru, demanding legal action against him. Complainant Tejas A. Gowda has alleged that a person holding a responsible ministerial position in the state government has served lies in the public forum without any official investigation report or judicial conclusion. According to the complaint, Kharge’s claims directly linking the case of around 44,250 live cartridges seized by investigating agencies in Bihar and Haryana to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are completely fabricated and contrary to facts. However, local police officials say that they have received a formal complaint in this regard, but as the preliminary investigation is ongoing, no regular FIR has been registered.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has adopted a very aggressive stance on this entire episode. BJP MP from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya has completely rejected the claims of Priyank Kharge and launched a scathing attack on him. Tejashwi Surya directly called Kharge a ‘fake news peddler’ i.e. one who spreads false and misleading news. He said that when senior ministers of the ruling party of the state try to defame the country’s largest nationalist social organization in such sensitive matters without any facts, statement of the investigating agency or the decision of the court, then it is clear that the Congress party is politically bankrupt and is taking the help of Sangh to divert the public attention from its administrative failures.
BJP leaders say that the syndicate of illegal arms and cartridges seized in Bihar and Haryana is a case related to organized crime and inter-state smuggling, which is being investigated by the police of the respective states and central security agencies. No investigating agency has issued any official statement related to the Sangh in this matter. In such a situation, creating an incomplete and misleading narrative on social media by a person holding a constitutional post is a direct violation of democratic norms and the provisions of the Indian Judicial Code (BNS). BJP has demanded that there should be a fair investigation under the law against the minister for making such irresponsible posts.
This controversy took a new and important turn when former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao wrote an open and very strong letter directly to Priyank Kharge. Rao took strong exception to Kharge’s comments on the RSS, especially his attempt to forcibly link the RSS to the murder cases of Narendra Dabholkar, MM Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh. He said that these sensitive cases have been investigated by Special Investigation Teams and the judiciary, hence linking the Sangh to these crimes for political gains on social media without any legal basis is completely irresponsible and contrary to the dignity of the office.
The former Police Commissioner clearly wrote in the letter that the primary duty of the ministers associated with the Home Department or the Government is to strengthen the rule of law and boost the morale of the police force. He alleged that the public was being misled by the minister by resorting to suspicious, AI-generated and misleading pictures on social media. Bhaskar Rao raised the question that if the government ministers themselves share unverified and misleading content on social media, then what will be the credibility of the ‘fact-check’ units created to stop fake news and misinformation in the state.
Bhaskar Rao, in his letter, gave very practical and administrative advice to Priyank Kharge, saying that he should focus on the real problems of the state police department instead of getting involved in unnecessary political controversies and social media debates. He underlined that Karnataka Police is severely lacking in infrastructure, thousands of posts of employees and officers in police stations are lying vacant for a long time, and there is a dire need for state-of-the-art Forensic Science Laboratories (FSL) to modernize crime investigation. Unless the infrastructure of the police department is strengthened, it will not be possible to punish criminals and create a sense of security among the public.
Rao stressed that the professional credibility and impartiality of the police force should not be put at stake for political gains. A responsible minister should focus his energy on internal security of the state, prevention of cyber crimes and strengthening law and order, and not in making political statements that increase bitterness in the society. After this letter became public, discussions have become heated in political circles. The opposition is now directly attacking the state government and Priyank Kharge on the basis of this letter, due to which the controversy is likely to deepen further in the coming days, from the Karnataka Assembly to the streets.