Karnataka Leaders Clash Over RSS Ammunition Smuggling Allegations

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge demanded accountability from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh after police seized 44,250 live cartridges in Bihar and Haryana. The ammunition, recovered by the Bihar Police in Bhojpur and the Haryana Special Task Force in Jhajjar, reportedly bore markings from the Khadki ammunition factory in Pune. Kharge cited photographs of individuals in RSS uniforms as evidence of a grave national security concern and called for the formal registration of the RSS to ensure organizational accountability.

Karnataka Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka dismissed the allegations as false propaganda and political hatred. Ashoka accused Kharge of using distorted photographs to distract from law-and-order failures in Karnataka, including narcotics rackets and communal violence. He asserted that the RSS would not be intimidated by the claims.

The dispute escalated into a legal matter with a complaint filed against Kharge at the Banashankari Police Station in Bengaluru for allegedly making false statements against the RSS. While police investigations into the interstate smuggling network remain ongoing, authorities have not yet established the institutional involvement of any organization.