Nagpur, February 16 The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Monday strongly criticized Karnataka Congress minister Priyank Kharge for linking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to money laundering, asserting that such statements were part of a strategy to insult patriotic organizations and defame patriots.
Kharge, while speaking at an event in Bengaluru on Sunday, cited the RSS' "network of more than 2,500 organizations, they are from America, England" to allege "these people are into money laundering."
Addressing a press conference here, VHP national organizational secretary Milind Parande said such statements would reduce the acceptance of those making them in society.
"They are trying to increase their credibility and engage in appeasement (with such remarks), both of which will not succeed. There are many forces and individuals in India who have a problem with the rise of Hindutva. They are coming up with such nonsense. Using such words and insulting patriotic organizations shows their intellectual bankruptcy," he said.
"It will reduce their acceptance in society. What he (Kharge) said is absolutely false, and even he knows it. But he does it as a strategy to defame patriots. The people of Karnataka must think whether such people should be brought back to power. Therefore, the VHP always asserts that those who believe in the interests of Hindus must be in power at the Centre and in the states," Parande added.
Asked about the BNP winning elections in Bangladesh and whether it would improve the conditions for Hindus there, Parande said it is expected that the community is protected irrespective of who is in power. So far, people there have been incapable of protecting Hindus, he said, in reference to attacks on the community since the Sheikh Hasina government fell following an uprising in August 2024.
Asserting that most of the violence has been sponsored by political parties, Parande said, "The Hindu community is in a very dangerous situation in Bangladesh."
He also refused to comment on the face-off between the Uttar Pradesh government and Swami Avimukteshwaranand during the Magh Mela festivities in Prayagraj. A controversy erupted on Mauni Amavasya morning at the Sangam Nose when police, citing heavy crowd pressure, allegedly stopped the seer from proceeding to the Sangam in a palanquin along with a large number of supporters.
The VHP, as a matter of practice, does not issue statements on disputes between saints, as it would not be appropriate, Parande said.
Without taking the name of Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, the VHP leader said it was surprising that anyone from the state could make such a remark about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Congress leader has courted controversy by equating 18th Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan with the founder of the Maratha Empire.
On some people sprinkling cow urine to purify a temple in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar following the visit of Muslim Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar in Sillod on Mahashivratri on Sunday, Parande said places of worship must be visited by those who have faith.
Without genuine sentiment, it becomes a mere political stunt, he said.
"Religion should never be exploited for political gain, as that insults faith," Parande said while not commenting on the 'purification' episode linked to the incident.