New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday expressed his personal opinion that the RSS should be banned, attributing most of the country's law and order problems to the BJP-RSS combine. Kharge criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly insulting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s legacy by permitting government employees to associate with the Sangh.

Kharge responded to Modi’s attack on the Congress on Patel's birth anniversary by citing Patel’s own criticism of the RSS after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948. He said, "It is my personal opinion and I will say it openly, it should be done," referring to banning the RSS.

Kharge urged Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to heed Patel’s warnings, noting that Patel himself had banned the RSS due to legitimate concerns and that lifting restrictions disrespects Patel's stand. He accused the DMK government of fueling division and said Patel fought for unity and peace, warning those who break the unity should face consequences.

Addressing concerns about creating disunity, Kharge said that reviving the RSS is harmful and the government will be responsible for any negative outcomes. He likened the government’s actions to "tasting poison" that will ultimately harm the country and criticised Modi’s policies as harmful.

Kharge alleged that references to Mahatma Gandhi, Nathuram Godse, the RSS, and the 2002 Gujarat riots have been removed from NCERT textbooks, accusing the prime minister of distorting history. He claimed that "erasing the truth from textbooks reveals their intentions" and reaffirmed that Patel banned the RSS to protect secularism and democracy.

He remembered Patel and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, calling them the "iron man" and "iron lady" who contributed significantly to India and maintained its unity. Kharge also cited a letter Patel wrote to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, blaming the RSS for creating an atmosphere that led to Gandhi’s assassination.

Kharge rejected attempts to portray Nehru and Patel as rivals, stating both leaders had mutual respect and praised each other—the Congress legacy of unity and leadership.

His remarks followed Prime Minister Modi’s statement that Patel aimed to integrate Kashmir into India, but Nehru prevented it, accusing Congress of inheriting a colonial "slave mentality" which the country is now shaking off.

On Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, Kharge paid tribute, calling him "the great Iron Man of India" and highlighting his role as the "Architect of India's unity." He said Patel’s vision of harmony and brotherhood remains central to Congress's ideology. Rahul Gandhi also praised Patel’s legacy, emphasising his courage and vision in unifying India.

Born in 1875 in Gujarat, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a key leader in India’s independence movement and died in 1950.

With inputs from PTI