Karnataka minister calls RSS thousand-headed venomous snake

Karnataka Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Monday described the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a "thousand-headed venomous snake" filled with casteism, communalism and Manuvad. He demanded a public apology from the RSS, BJP and Sri Ram Sena to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over an alleged purification ritual at a rally venue in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.

Addressing Congress workers, Siddaramaiah said the RSS spreads poison of casteism and Manusmriti ideology and must be condemned. The row erupted after Sri Ram Sena performed a havan at the Ramlila Maidan stage on August 10, two days after Kharge's rally. Congress leaders called it a discriminatory act against Dalits.

Separately, Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge questioned the RSS's legal status and accountability on social media, asking under which law it functions. He said existence is not the issue but transparency is, and challenged BJP general secretary B L Santhosh to clarify its legal identity.