Tamilisai Criticises TN Govt Over Court Order Allowing RSS Marches at 128 Locations

BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan on Sunday criticised the Tamil Nadu government for requiring the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to approach the courts for permission to conduct route marches, asserting that the organisation should be recognised for its social service activities.

Speaking to reporters during an RSS route march in Egmore, she questioned why the present and previous state governments had not granted permission for the processions voluntarily.

The marches were organised across Tamil Nadu as part of the RSS's centenary celebrations, following a recent Madras High Court order permitting the organisation to conduct processions at 128 locations in the state.

Soundararajan alleged that the government was citing law-and-order concerns to deny permission for peaceful marches, even as, according to her, drug abusers and offenders were moving freely in the state.

She also criticised political leaders, including Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan and CPI(M) leader Shanmugam, accusing them of portraying the RSS negatively. "The true nature of RSS is mispropagated in Tamil Nadu," she said, urging the government to acknowledge the organisation's service activities and allow future marches without forcing it to seek judicial intervention.

Recounting a personal experience from her days as a house surgeon at Thanjavur Medical College, the BJP leader said RSS volunteers from Tiruchirappalli had donated blood to save a patient suffering from blood vomiting. She said the volunteers helped without disclosing their identities.

The experience inspired her to participate in the organisation's service initiatives, including blood donation and medical camps, she said. Soundararajan added that she had written a book titled A Century of Service as a tribute to the organisation.

Emphasising the RSS's stated commitment to unity and discipline, she said its activities brought people together across caste and religious lines. "Real social justice we can see in RSS," she said, adding that people from minority communities were also part of the organisation. The RSS is marking 100 years since its founding in 1925, with events and processions being held in different parts of the country.