Why the RSS does not want to register| Rise of Hindutva Pop| South Central 80

The panel also discussed a common defence offered by the RSS and its supporters: that the organisation undertakes extensive charitable and voluntary work and therefore should not be questioned.

Published on:

19 Jun 2026, 12:46 pm

Why does the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) not register itself as an organisation? Why do platforms like Meta, Apple and YouTube allow Hindutva content filled with hate to flourish on their platforms?

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These are the two questions that South Central tackled in this week’s episode. Hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth were joined by Shardool K of Newslaundry and senior journalist Nikita Saxena to unpack the RSS’s reluctance to register itself.

Shardool, who was part of the RSS for several years, said that remaining unregistered has historically allowed the organisation a degree of plausible deniability. Nikita added that if the RSS were to register itself, not only would its finances come under greater scrutiny and audit, but the actions of its members could also invite greater accountability.

At one point, Dhanya wondered that if the RSS were to comply with Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge’s demand and register itself, what exactly would it register as? “Can you register as a militia or a paramilitary force?” she asked.

The panel also discussed a common defence offered by the RSS and its supporters: that the organisation undertakes extensive charitable and voluntary work and therefore should not be questioned. The discussion explored how the RSS has built links with around 2,500 organisations across the country, reaping the goodwill generated by their work while remaining largely unaccountable itself.

In the second part of South Central, journalist and author Kunal Purohit joined the hosts to discuss his recent findings on how Big Tech platforms are enabling the monetisation of hate-filled Hindutva pop. Kunal has been tracking Hindutva pop for several years and explains how it has spread across states, languages, and festivals, often leading to real-world consequences, including riots and murders.

Tune in to this episode here.

Audio timecodes

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:20 - Headlines

00:09:58 - RSS registration

00:47:26 - Hindutva pop

1:12:47 - Recommendations

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