Exclusive | "How Am I Itching For A Fight?": Priyank Kharge On His Open Letter To RSS Chief

In an exclusive conversation with India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge strongly defended his open letter to RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, denying claims that he is looking for a political fight. Citing data directly from the RSS’s own Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha annual report, Kharge pointed out that the organisation operates 4,127 daily shakhas, 1,389 weekly milans, and has mobilized over 20 lakh people across Karnataka. He argued that an entity coordinating large-scale, uniformed route marches cannot be treated as a private group, making financial transparency and public accountability imperative under a constitutional democracy.