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Priyank Kharge is right about RSS transparency. He should ask the same of political parties

Consider the amount of money political parties spend in elections. Is there no need even for constitutional institutions to know where such money comes from?

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has written an open letter to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Citing extensive figures about the RSS’s diverse activities, he questioned how an organisation conducting public activities on such a large and regular scale could be described as a private or informal entity. Since the RSS is not registered anywhere in official government records, questions arise regarding its legal status, financial transparency, tax accountability, and compliance with laws.

Kharge has asked the RSS to publicly release the following information: sources of donations, contributions and income; details of expenditure and assets; and whether applicable taxes are paid in accordance with the law.

“An organisation that regularly evokes nationalism, discipline and duty must also demonstrate these values through transparency, compliance and respect for the Constitution of India. The RSS cannot ask ordinary Indians to follow rules while exempting itself from the same standards. If workers, small associations, religious institutions, NGOs, trusts, companies and citizens are expected to register, disclose, audit and pay taxes, then the RSS too must set an example by abiding by the rules of the land,” Kharge wrote in his letter to Bhagwat.

Kharge’s questions are valid and deserve answers. However, what is interesting is that most of these questions also apply to political parties.

Also read: Why Dalit HM Priyank Kharge concerned about RSS functioning? asks BJP MP

What about political parties?

On one hand, even a small shopkeeper is required to account for every rupee of income. Yet within the same system, how is it that political parties enjoy the freedom to receive invisible domestic and foreign funds without ever having to account for them? This is a serious question.

To borrow George Orwell’s language, in India all are equal before the law, but political parties—and the RSS—are more equal than others. When even large deposits into an ordinary citizen’s bank account attract scrutiny, it is absurd that political parties can conduct transactions worth crores and billions of rupees without any accountability.

Political parties spend........

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