‘Follower of Ambedkar; afraid of none’: Priyank hits back at BJP MP Jigajinagi

KArnataka place government minister Priyank Kharge on th asserted that he is afraid of none for beingness the follower of B R Ambedkar, as he accused BJP MP Ramesh Jigajinagi of suggesting that Dalits had no correct to question the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).The remarks came a day after the BJP MP said that “those who have taken on RSS have not survived”, amid ongoing debate over the Sangh’s legal status with Kharge pressing the organisation to disclose its legal status, organisational structure and finances. Kharge has argued that an organisation with such an extensive national presence should be held to the same standards of transparency and constitutional accountability as other public bodies.Earlier this week, Kharge wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking details of the organisation’s registration, office bearers, sources of income, expenditure, assets and tax compliance. The RSS and the BJP rejected the demand. Bhagwat said the organisation functions openly and that formal registration is generally required only for organisations seeking government funding. Kharge later said he had written the letter in his official capacity as Karnataka’s home minister and that the RSS should respond to questions raised by a constitutional authority.The dispute took a sharper political turn on Wednesday when Jigajinagi questioned both Kharge’s campaign against the RSS and his reasons for pursuing it. “Those who have taken on RSS have not survived. Why should a Dalit person be concerned about RSS?” the BJP MP said while speaking to reporters. Jigajinagi also dismissed Kharge’s demand that the RSS should get registered formally. “What will you achieve by registering RSS? Ask people what RSS is, and they will tell you. That is not the job of a home minister,” he said.Turning his attention to Kharge personally, Jigajinagi added: “He was given the Home portfolio because his father worked for Congress. He lacks wisdom. Instead of making such statements, he should focus on his responsibilities and earn a good name.”In a statement issued through his office on Thursday, Kharge said the BJP MP’s question warranted examination from “different dimensions”, arguing that it went beyond a political disagreement. “Is this the voice of frustration of Ramesh Jigajinagi, himself a member of the Dalit community, because he cannot gain entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the RSS?” Kharge asked.He continued: “Are these words meant to caution Dalits not to associate with the RSS, which believes in the fundamentals of a graded social order? Or are they intended to tell me that, as a Dalit, I have no right to question an organisation created to safeguard the interests of those who hold a sense of social superiority?” Kharge also questioned whether Jigajinagi believed Dalits were incapable of subjecting the RSS to constitutional scrutiny. “Are these expressions of despair suggesting that Dalits are incapable of bringing an organisation like the RSS onto the constitutional path?” he asked. Responding to Jigajinagi’s warning that “those who have taken on the RSS have not survived”, Kharge questioned both the intent and the implication of the statement.“No one who has taken on the RSS has survived’ was the warning given by Ramesh Jigajinagi. Was that statement made because he himself fears the RSS, or was it intended to frighten me?” Kharge said.“Ramesh Jigajinagi, I am a follower of Babasaheb’s ideology. My courage to question and my conviction come from him. Those who believe in Babasaheb do not know fear,” he added.