Comparing Hindu Dharma with an Unregistered Organisation is Unacceptable: Manjunath Bhandary

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Working President and Member of the Legislative Council, Manjunath Bhandary, has strongly condemned the recent remark made by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in which he stated that “Hindu Dharma itself is not registered.”

Bhandary said that equating Hindu Dharma, which has a civilizational history of several thousand years, with the RSS, which is barely a century old, is deeply objectionable. “This statement is an affront to the very essence of the Hindu faith that all of us represent,” he said.

He noted that Hindu Dharma is not a constructed or codified institution, but rather a way of life shaped by the knowledge, spiritual practices, cultural evolution, and lived experiences of countless generations. “Hindu Dharma has flourished naturally on this land for millennia and does not require any form of registration or certification for its legitimacy,” he added.

Bhandary stated that comparing a universal and inclusive spiritual tradition to a closed ideological organisation is misleading and disrespectful. “Hindu Dharma belongs to all who practice it. But the ideology of the RSS is confined only to those who subscribe to its doctrine,” he said.

He further pointed out that the RSS has been subjected to three bans in the past, reinforcing that it has operated with agendas that have raised serious concerns. “Without being accountable to any constitutional or legal structure, the RSS continues to exert influence across politics, governance, education, and religion,” he said.

Bhandary concluded that the statement by the RSS chief is an attempt to appropriate Hindu Dharma and must be strongly opposed by all who value the pluralistic and inclusive nature of India’s spiritual heritage.