World · India Bureau
BJP, Congress spar over RSS role in Karnataka journalist murders
A political row has erupted between senior leaders of the ruling BJP and opposition Congress over alleged RSS involvement in the deaths of prominent journalists in Karnataka. The dispute centres on connections between the Hindu nationalist organisation and unsolved murder cases.
LSN India ·
Tensions flared between Congress leader Priyank Kharge and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday as the two engaged in a sharp exchange regarding the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's alleged links to high-profile killings in the state. The controversy centres on investigations into the deaths of journalist Gauri Lankesh and rationalist M.M. Kalburgi, cases that remain sensitive issues in Karnataka's political landscape.
Kharge levelled accusations suggesting RSS connections to the murders, reiterating Congress assertions that elements within the organisation were implicated in the incidents. Surya countered the allegations, defending the RSS and accusing the opposition party of making unfounded claims to stoke communal tensions ahead of political contests.
The debate reflects deeper divisions between the two parties over the role of right-wing organisations in Karnataka's social and political fabric. While Congress has historically maintained that the RSS harbours extremist elements, the BJP has consistently rejected such characterisations as politically motivated attacks.
Lankesh, a noted journalist and publisher, was shot dead outside her Bengaluru home in 2017, while Kalburgi, a scholar and activist, was killed in 2015. Both cases have drawn national attention and remain subjects of intense scrutiny and periodic political discourse.