Chittapur, 16 Nov

Heavy security blanketed Chittapur on Sunday as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) held its route march between 3pm and 5.30pm, following conditional permission from the Karnataka High Court.

Over 1,200 police personnel from Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Bidar were deployed to prevent any untoward incidents. The Town Municipal Council (TMC) installed 56 CCTV cameras along the march route, supplemented by 10 drones. The organisers were permitted to display 200 saffron flags and buntings from Saturday morning until Sunday evening.

As per court and administrative conditions, only 300 ganaveshadharis and a 50-member band were allowed. The procession began at Bajaj Kalyan Mantapa, passed Basaveshwara Circle, Bus Station Circle, Ambedkar Circle, Raghavendra Khanavali, Canara Bank and TAP Office Circle, before returning to the starting point. Police cordoned off the venue, while bomb squads and sniffer dogs conducted checks.

The march marks the Sangh’s centenary and comes after an earlier request for 18 October was rejected following objections raised by district MLA and Minister Priyank Kharge to the use of government property. Permission was granted only after multiple rounds of talks and a High Court directive.

Priyank alleges misuse of development funds

Addressing reporters in Kalaburagi, Minister Priyank Kharge levelled a serious allegation that the RSS had siphoned off funds from the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) during the previous BJP government. He said he would soon release documents to substantiate the claim.

“The RSS is not a registered organisation. Once it is registered, it will come under the tax regime. They call it ‘Gurudakshina’, but the accounts of those who donate to an unregistered association are never audited,” he alleged.

Kharge maintained that the route march was conducted strictly as per court guidelines. “We decided the number of participants, the route, and who could join. They claimed 3,000 would attend; barely 300 came,” he said, adding that participation from outside Chittapur would have violated the order.

‘First time in 100 years they’re following rules’

Earlier in the day, Kharge remarked that the RSS was following legal procedure “for the first time in 100 years”.
“I only asked that they seek permission. They have a habit of not following the rule of law. Now they are. If they violate conditions, they will face action,” he said.

National issues

On the Bihar election results, Priyank said they would not impact Karnataka politics. 

“Winning and losing is normal. But the vote share they received despite anti-incumbency raises questions. Let the detailed data come,” he said.
He alleged the Election Commission acted selectively, saying it “stopped cash distribution in Telangana but not in Bihar.”

Reacting to BY Vijayendra and former minister Ashok’s comments on Rahul Gandhi having an “iron leg”, Kharge asked, “Have the RSS or BJP ever fought for the people? Have you ever seen a Ganeshdar wipe people’s tears?”