Guwahati: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Wednesday said it has lodged complaints at two police stations in Assam against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly likening RSS and BJP to a “poisonous snake” during an election rally.The complaints were filed seeking legal action over allegedly “derogatory, provocative, and communally sensitive statements” made during a recent election rally in south Assam, an RSS spokesman said.The RSS alleged in its complaints that Kharge made the controversial remarks at a rally in Nilambazar under the Karimganj South assembly constituency in Sribhumi district on April 6.Kharge was quoted in the complaints as saying: “If a poisonous snake is moving in front of you while you are offering namaz, you must stop the prayer and rush to kill the poisonous snake first — that is what the Quran prescribes you to do.
I tell you that the RSS and BJP are like that same poisonous snake; if you do not eliminate a poisonous snake like the RSS and BJP, you may not survive.”Khagen Saikia, Prant Karyavah of RSS Uttar Assam Prant, filed the complaint at Dispur police station in Guwahati, while Jyotsnamoy Chakraborty, Prant Sanghchalak of RSS Dakshin Assam Prant, lodged a complaint at Silchar police station. The RSS expressed serious concern that the remarks are inflammatory and capable of inciting hostility, intimidation, and violence against RSS and BJP workers and supporters, particularly given their invocation of religious sentiments during an election campaign.
The complaints assert that the statement constitutes a corrupt electoral practice under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and allege that the remarks criminally intimidated the public and promoted enmity between supporters of different political and social groups.The complainants argued that describing the ideology of the RSS and BJP as “poisonous” and allegedly calling for their elimination could be interpreted as encouraging bodily harm against members and supporters of these organisations.They further stated that Kharge’s remarks attempt to promote communal division between Hindu and Muslim communities, potentially disturbing public peace and harmony in Assam and influencing the electoral environment.The complainants also claimed that such statements could lead to communal tensions or clashes if not promptly addressed by authorities.The RSS emphasised that democratic discourse must remain within constitutional and legal boundaries, and that electoral campaigning should not resort to language capable of endangering social cohesion or public peace.
