‘Even Hindu Dharma is not registered’: Mohan Bhagwat says RSS ‘recognised, tax exempted’ body amid row

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday, November 9, responded to questions over organisation’s registration status by stating that even “Hindu dharma is not registered.” He further said that RSS is a recognised body.”Many things are not registered, even Hindu dharma is not registered,” Bhagwat said while addressing the ‘100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons’ event in Bengaluru, as per news agency PTI.Addressing questions on why RSS remains unregistered, Bhagwat said, “Sangh started in 1925 — do you expect us to register with the British government, against whom? We were banned thrice, so the government has recognised us. Each time, courts resolved the issue and dismissed the ban, making RSS a legal organisation. We are within the constitution; our legal status is within it. So, we need not register.”
#WATCH | Bengaluru | On being asked why Sangha is not a registered organisation, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat says, “Sangha started in 1925. Do you expect us to register with the British government? Against whom?… We were banned thrice. So, the government has recognised. If we were… pic.twitter.com/LmF8fSQsEY
— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2025
Priyank Kharge, Minister for Electronics, IT/BT, and Rural Development, clarified in an exclusive conversation with News18 that the state has not asked for a ban on the RSS but wants transparency. “We have not asked for a ban on RSS at all. We are saying let them seek permission for their activities. And more importantly, when every temple is accountable in India, how come they are not accountable? Temple donations are accountable in India, but not RSS donations,” he said.The RSS chief’s remarks come amid tense relations with the Congress-led Karnataka government, which has recently restricted RSS’s use of public spaces.Bhagwat also addressed questions about RSS’s tax status, stating that the Income Tax Department and courts have recognised it as a “body of individuals” and exempted it from tax.“RSS exists for the glory of the nation, not for power”Bhagwat further reiterated that the RSS aims to organise Hindu society for the “glory of nation,” not to seek power. “When an organised force is raised in the form of Sangh (RSS), it doesn’t want power. It doesn’t want prominence in society. It just wants to serve, organise the society for the glory of Bharat Mata,” he said.“No Ahindu in Bharat”: Shared ancestry and cultureOn the question of religious identity, Bhagwat stated firmly that there is no “Ahindu” (non-Hindu) in India. “Everyone, including Muslims and Christians, are descendants of the same ancestors. The core culture of the country is Hindu,” he asserted, adding that being Hindu means being responsible for Bharat.Reflecting on the RSS’s century-old journey, he noted that the organisation faced two major bans and numerous challenges over decades: “There were two bans. There was a third as well… the Swayamsevaks were murdered… In every way, it was tried that we should not thrive. But Swayamsevaks give their all to the Sangh and don’t want anything in return.”Bhagwat further said the Sangh’s focus now is to take its work “to every village and every stratum of society, across all castes and classes… We have to make everybody remember who we are as Bharat. We have to reach every diversity.”

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