Kharge Challenges Santhosh's Claim on RSS Role in Fighting Razakars
Reacting to Santhosh's claim that the Razakars had attacked the Kharge family and that the RSS had fought against the Razakars, Kharge asked him to look at history before making such claims.
Kalaburagi: Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday hit back at BJP national organisational secretary BL Santhosh over his remarks on the RSS's role in fighting the Razakars, asserting that the erstwhile Hyderabad State was integrated with India through the decisive intervention of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian Army, and not the RSS.
Reacting to Santhosh's claim that the Razakars had attacked the Kharge family and that the RSS had fought against the Razakars, Kharge asked him to look at history before making such claims.
“You claims that the RSS fought against the Razakars. If you claim that you protected people during the Razakar period, where were you when communal violence broke out after Partition? Because of your organisation, there was communal violence,” he said.
“Following the killing of Gandhiji by Nathuram Godes, who was influenced by the RSS principals, there was communal violence in Kolkata and Delhi. Your organization is one that creates communal violence and not that protects people during communal violence,” he alleged.
Kharge challenged Santhosh to explain the RSS's role during Operation Polo, the 1948 military operation that resulted in the integration of the erstwhile Hyderabad State with India.
“Our family were victims of violence. We had to flee from there and come here. What did your organisation do at that time?” he asked.
“Hyderabad-Karnataka Liberation Day was not achieved because of the RSS. It was the result of the decisive action taken by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian Army,” Kharge said.
“In Kalaburagi, there is no statue of an RSS leader, but there is one of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,” he said.
The Home Minister said the unity of India was a result of Patel's firm resolve and not because of the RSS, which he accused of trying to divide society. He also challenged the RSS to show even one statue of an RSS pracharak or sarsanghchalak that had been installed by people on their own initiative in the organisation's 100-year history.
