A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer from Thane has issued a legal notice to Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge for allegedly defamatory remarks made nearly two months ago.
The notice demands an unconditional apology and threatens legal action if Kharge fails to respond within 15 days.
Controversial Remarks On RSS
Kharge, who currently serves as Karnataka’s Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, reportedly referred to the RSS as an organisation with “extreme views” and being “anti-Constitution” during an interview with a news agency. These remarks have drawn sharp criticism from RSS supporters.
In response, Vivek Champanerkar, a long-time RSS volunteer based in Thane, claims the statements are not only baseless but also intended to defame the RSS. The legal notice, sent through advocate Aditya Mishra, accuses Kharge of engaging in a deliberate effort to damage the image of the organisation and its volunteers.
Legal Notice
The notice characterises Kharge’s remarks as a product of “wild imagination or deliberate untruth” and demands an unconditional public apology within 15 days. It warns that failure to do so will lead to both civil and criminal proceedings, to be initiated at Kharge’s “cost and risk.”
According to the notice, the comments have caused reputational harm not just to the organisation but also to individual volunteers like Champanerkar. It further claims that such statements subject RSS swayamsevaks to “daily humiliation” and social ridicule.
Previous Legal Actions
This is not the first time Champanerkar has taken legal action over comments made about the RSS. He has previously filed similar complaints against senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh, as well as lyricist and commentator Javed Akhtar. All these cases are currently pending in the Thane Magistrate Court.
Allegations Of Conspiracy
The notice goes a step further by accusing Kharge of orchestrating a “great conspiracy” aimed at defaming the RSS and painting it in a negative light in the public domain. It suggests that the remarks are not isolated but part of a broader political agenda to discredit the organisation and its volunteers.
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